Hotel owner among 2 held with ambergris worth Rs 3 crore

Police subsequently arrested Sandeep Shivram Kasar (60), who runs a hotel in the coastal town of Malgund beach in Ratnagiri, and Kishor Yashwant Dange (45), who is a driver from the same town. The two have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in a case registered at Hinjewadi police station based on a complaint filed by officials from the forest department.

Senior inspector Kanhaiyya Thorat, in-charge of Hinjewadi police station, said, “We are probing how the two suspects came to be in possession of such a large quantity of ambergris. Investigation suggests that the two smuggled the ambergris to Pune to be sold to a potential buyer. We are probing the case further.”

Ambergris, which means gray amber in French (gris or grise is French for gray), is a waxy substance that originates from the digestive system of the protected sperm whales.

Investigating agencies from across India who have seized ambergris in the recent past estimate its value to be somewhere between Rs 1 to 2 crore/kg, depending on the purity and quality. Officials say that being extremely rare contributes to its high demand and high price in the international market.

Traditionally ambergris is used to produce perfumes which have notes of musk. It is believed that the key market for ambergris is in the middle eastern countries, select European and South East Asian countries.

In the past, the police and the state forest department have made multiple seizures of Ambergris from Pune and rrested local suspects and racketeers with interstate links.