In an astonishing turn of events, a Pakistani fisherman named Haji Baloch became a millionaire overnight after he caught a rare fish Sowa. Sowa, the golden fish, is famous for its medicinal purposes. As per reports, Haji Baloch who lives in Karachi, turned a millionaire after the Sowa he caught was sold at Rs 2 crore in an auction. Haji Baloch and his team, hailing from the Pakistan Fishermen Folk Forum, successfully captured the elusive "Sowa" fish from the Arabian Sea on Monday. Now the question arises who is Haji Baloch and what is so special about Sowa? Below is everything you need to know-
Who is Haji Baloch?
As per reports, Haji Baloch hails from Ibrahim Hyderi fishing village in Karachi, Pakistan. While Haji Baloch millionaire status indeed garnered global headlines, Pakistan has witnessed some massive success story of fishermen. For those who are unaware, in May 2021, a fisherman named Sajid Haji Abubakar caught a Sowa fish, weighing 48 kilos, off the coast of Balochistan province's Gwadar. The Sowa fish was sold for around Rs 7.2 million. The fisherman credited the boat's owner for catching the fish in Gwadar about two years ago.
Talking about Sowa fish, apart from its economic value, the Golden fish holds cultural and traditional significance, finding its use in traditional medicines and local cuisine. Sowa is considered rare because substances from its belly are believed to have great medicinal properties.
Haji Baloch was quoted by a newswire saying, that a fish fetches PKR 70 lakh in the auction. It weighs between 20-40 kgs and can grow up to 1.5 metres. "We were fishing in the open sea of Karachi...when we came across this huge cache of golden fish, and it was a windfall for us," said Haji Baloch adding that he will share the amount with his crew who were with him during the catch.