Four held with 'whale vomit' worth Rs 2.9 crore in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) on Wednesday arrested four persons with 2.904 kilograms of ambergris, also known as floating gold or whale vomit.

DCB officials said that based on a tip-off that they apprehended a person identified as Aamir Mansuri, a resident of Surat, who had come to Ahmedabad to sell ambergris.

Officials said that they obtained information from the cell phone of Mansuri's video that the consignment had been sent by another Surat-based person identified as Usman Sheikh.

A team of DCB was dispatched to Surat which raided Usman Sheikh's house and a total of 2.904 kilograms of ambergris, worth Rs 2,90,40,000 was recovered from his possession.

During the further investigation, two more suspects involved in illicit business were apprehended. They have been identified as Sahadatali alias Babu Rangrez, originally from Daman and Mohammad Hanif Sheikh, who is from Surat.

Ambergris is produced by sperm whales. It is waxy substance which is highly sought after in the perfume industry. It is considered to be rare as it is formed in the intestines of sperm whales.

The sale and trade of ambergris is prohibited in India as it falls under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Sperm whales are an endangered species as they are under threat due to the demand for ambergris across the globe.