Pune Forest Department Arrests Six Smugglers With 3 Kg Whale Vomit Called Ambergris Used For Perfume Making
Vivek Patil & Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 28th August 2021: The Forest Department today arrested six persons for smuggling three kilograms (kg) of whale vomit called ambergris. The price of vomit is said to be high in the market as it is used in perfume making.
The arrested persons have been identified as Muhammadin Mutmat Ali Chaudhary (58), Yogeshwar Sudharak Sakhare (25), Anil Dilip Kamthe (45), Jyotiba Govind Jadhav (38), Krishnat Shripati Khot (59), and Sujata Tanaji Jadhav (44). An FIR has been registered against all six accused.
Acting on a tip-off, decoy customers were sent to meet the accused at Purnanagar in Pimpri. The forest department team nabbed the accused while the deal was going on. They seized whale vomit (ambergris). A car has also been seized.
The action was taken under the guidance of Deputy Conservator of Forests Rahul Patil by a team comprising Assistant Forest Conservator Mayur Bothe, Range Forest Officer Pradip Sankpal, Vanpal Mahesh Mergewad, Vijay Shinde, Van Rakshak Suresh Barle, Rameshwar Telangre, Mahadev Chavan and Ganesh Patil.
What is whale vomit and why is it so valuable?
- Ambergris or commonly called grey amber is referred to as whale vomit.
- It is a solid, waxy substance of dull grey colour produced in the digestive system of sperm whales.
- It’s an excretion and is so valuable that it is referred to as floating gold.
- According to some reports,1 kg of ambergris is worth 1 crore.
- It is used in the fragrance industry to create expensive and niche perfumes and has a huge market in Dubai.
- It is also believed to be used in many traditional medicines.
- The substance is considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures.
