Ahmedabad, July 5 (IANS) A man was arrested after Gujarat Police’s State Monitoring Cell seized 1.01kg of ambergris, commonly known as whale vomit, valued at about Rs 1.01 crore during a raid near Dholera in Ahmedabad district on Sunday.

The operation was carried out by the State Monitoring Cell following directions from the Director General of Police (DGP) G.S. Malik to take action against illegal activities across the state.

Police Inspector A.J. Chauhan and his team raided Raj Chamunda Hotel near Pipli village on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar highway, where they apprehended Mehul Chauhan, a resident of Pipli village in Dholera taluka.

According to the police, Mehul Chauhan was found carrying five hard pieces of varying sizes and shapes with a white, cream and golden-brown appearance.

Officials from the Forest Department and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) were called to examine the material. A preliminary examination identified the pieces as ambergris.

The five pieces weighed a total of 1.01kg on an electronic weighing scale. Police estimated the value of the seized ambergris at Rs 1.01 crore.

After collecting samples for examination, officers seized property worth Rs 1,01,01,820, including cash, under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, for further investigation. Mehul Chauhan was detained under Section 35(1)(E) of the same law.

During questioning, Mehul Chauhan allegedly told investigators that about two months ago, while working at a diamond polishing unit in Bhavnagar, he was asked by Pavan Koli, an office employee at the factory and a resident of Karchaliya Para in Bhavnagar, to keep the ambergris with him.

“Mehul Chauhan claimed he had been promised a commission once it was sold,” officials said.

Investigators further said Mehul Chauhan told them he had taken the material to his native village of Pipli and was transporting it to hand it over after being informed by Pravin Chauhan, a resident of Kumbharwala in Bhavnagar and a friend of Pavan Koli, that a buyer had been found.

He alleged that he was on his way to deliver the consignment to Pravin Chauhan and another man identified as Mehul from Bhavnagar when he was intercepted by the police.

Ambergris is a rare substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales and has historically been used as a fixative in high-end perfumes because it helps fragrances last longer.

It has also been used in incense, aromatic oils and luxury fragrance products, and has had medicinal and aphrodisiac uses in some cultures.

Its rarity gives it a high value in international illegal trade. The investigation is continuing to establish the source of the seized ambergris and trace others allegedly involved in the case.

–IANS

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