Anandnagar police have detained three persons with 5.3kg of ambergris (sperm whale vomit). The seized product is valued in the international market at Rs 7 crore. Ambergris costs Rs 10 lakh per kg in the Indian market, according to police.
The three men were apprehended on Saturday after they brought the expensive substance from Junagadh for a client in Ahmedabad. The accused were charged under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act after the forensic team said that prima facie, the product found in their possession was ambergri.
The accused were identified as Sharin Cheda (from Junagadh), Khalid Ofi (from Bhavnagar) and Sumer Soni (from Udaipur in Rajasthan), Police said. The accused procured the product from Junagadh and came to Ahmedabad to deliver it to someone whom the police have identified.
Investigators said, “the three said they had got the ambergris from Junagadh, but officials said that as whales are rarely seen along the Gujarat coast, the possibility of smuggling cannot be ruled out.” The investigation will reveal how people in Junagadh got hold of the ambergris. Officials said that they had a specific tip-off and the car was then intercepted.
Ambergris is a solid waxy odorous substance obtained from the sperm whale. It is used to make perfumes. Chemically it contains ambrein, ambroxan, ambrinol, and ambroxide. Ambergris has a market in Arab countries and China.
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