Puri, Nov 18: The Devi River in Odisha’s Puri is one of the waterbodies to house rare Hilsa fish in abundance.However in a first, a giant saline stingray was fished from the sweet water river on Tuesday during netting.

A group of Astaranga-based fishermen netted the giant 12-feet stingray, weighing around 3 quintals, from the Devi River flowing through the Puri district.

According to reports, the stingray fetched over Rs 60,000 to the fishermen as it was exchanged with a Pharma company, producing medicines from aquatic resources including sea weeds and fishes.

The stingray which is locally known as ‘Sankucha’ is a dangerous aquatic being that protects itself from foes by stinging them with its sharp barbed tail.

“We are all smile to get a sizeable sum from a single netting today. Had never seen the rare Sankucha even in the deep sea”, said Shankar Behera, a fisherman who first spotted the stingray trapped in the net.