Ahmedabad, July 5 (). The State Monitoring Cell of Gujarat Police seized 1.01 kg of ambergris (commonly called whale vomit), worth approximately Rs 1.01 crore, during a raid near Dholera in Ahmedabad district on Sunday. After this one person was arrested.
The operation was carried out by the State Monitoring Cell on the instructions of Director General of Police (DGP) GS Malik to take action against illegal activities across the state.
Police Inspector AJ Chauhan and his team raided Raj Chamunda Hotel near Pipli village on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar Highway, where they caught Mehul Chauhan, a resident of Pipli village in Dholera taluka.
According to the police, five hard pieces of different sizes and shapes were found with Mehul Chauhan, whose color was white, cream and golden-brown.
Forest Department and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) officials were called to examine the goods. Initial investigation identified these pieces as ambergris.
The total weight of these five pieces on electronic scales came out to be 1.01 kg. Police estimated the value of the seized ambergris at Rs 1.01 crore.
After taking samples for testing, the officials seized property worth Rs 1,01,01,820, including cash, under Section 106 of the Indian Civil Protection Code, 2023 for further investigation. Mehul Chauhan was detained under section 35(1)(e) of this law.
During interrogation, Mehul Chauhan told investigators that about two months ago, when he was working in a diamond polishing unit in Bhavnagar, Pawan Koli, a factory employee and resident of Karchaliya Para, Bhavnagar, had asked him to keep the ambergris with him.
Officials said Mehul Chauhan claimed that he was promised that he would get commission on its sale.
The investigators further said that Mehul Chauhan told them that he had taken this item to his native village Pipli. After getting information from Praveen Chauhan, a resident of Kumbharwala in Bhavnagar and a friend of Pawan Koli, that a buyer had been found, he was taking it to hand over.
He alleged that he was going to deliver this consignment to Praveen Chauhan and another person named Mehul, a resident of Bhavnagar, when the police stopped him.
Ambergris is a rare substance that is formed in the digestive tract of sperm whales. It has historically been used as a ‘fixative’ in expensive perfumes, as it helps the fragrance to last longer.
It has also been used in incense, essential oils, and luxury fragrance products, and in some cultures it has been used as a medicine and aphrodisiac.
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