Maharashtra: Multiple cases of ambergris seizure raise fear of sperm whale poaching

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Growing instances of the seizure of ambergris or whale vomit in Mumbai and neighbouring areas over the last 18 months have raised the spectre of poaching of sperm whales in the deep sea for the valuable substance, which is in high demand. Recently, ambergris worth crores was seized from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad and a few persons were arrested by police and Forest department officials. Ambergris, created by the bile duct of the sperm whale, is often called "floating gold" due to the immense price it fetches in the international markets for its use in luxury perfumes.

"The rise in the instances of the seizure of ambergris has triggered fear that either sperm whales are being poached or there can be adulteration in the substance, as it is highly valued," a forensic laboratory official said. Recently, a police team seized ambergris worth Rs 2.6 crore from Marine Drive in Mumbai. The probe took the police to Dapoli in the Ratnagiri district in coastal Konkan to find out whether whales were poached. The property cell of the Mumbai crime branch had last week arrested one Vaibhav Kalekar from a hotel in south Mumbai and seized the ambergris from him. It is suspected that Kalekar had procured the ambergris from Dapoli where a few whales were found dead some months ago, a police official said. The police team will investigate all the angles, including suspected poaching of whales to collect ambergris from their stomach, of the case, he said.

Kalekar, who hails from Ratnagiri, was arrested under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The sperm whale is a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act in India. Sperm whales found in deep sear produce a solid waxy substance in the form of vomit. Many times, fishermen found ambergris floating in the deep sea. Due to its unique fragrance, ambergris is considered a highly valued substance, the official said, adding that a kilogram of ambergris costs at least Rs 1 crore. "In recent cases, police found that ambergris was seized from the deep sea between the coastline of Maharashtra and Kerala," the official added. He said the accused Kalekar had tried to sell the substance three times in Mumbai.

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The illegal ambergris trade takes place with the help of brokers and middlemen as fishermen don't have contacts in the industry and they did not get the expected rate, he explained. In January, Raigad Police arrested three persons with five kg ambergris worth Rs 5 crore. Last December, the Property cell of the Thane police had recovered 1 kg ambergris from three persons.

In September 2021, officials of unit -7 of the Mumbai crime branch had arrested two persons from suburban Mulund with brownish stones and powder weighing 5.910 kg, he said. Their interrogation revealed that the stones and powder were ambergris, which was valued at around Rs 5.91 crore, he said. On June 16 last year, three persons were nabbed by the personnel of the Mumbai crime branch and Forest department in Mulund and 2.7 kg ambergris was recovered from them, which was identified as "pure" form by marine biologists. Another unit of the Mumbai crime branch had arrested two persons with 7.7 kg of ambergris, valued at over Rs 7.7 crore, from Lower Parel. Their interrogation revealed that one of the accused persons had served as a Mumbai police constable before he was sacked in 2016, the official said.

In all the cases of ambergris seizure, police personnel are accompanied by Forest officers, who conduct tests to verify the seized substance, the official explained. "Many times there is a possibility that synthetic ambergris is sold. To identify the substance, a basic test is conducted on the spot by Forest officials which includes putting a red hot needle on the substance. If it emits white fumes and odour, then it is considered ambergris. Then that substance is sent to a forensic laboratory for authentication," he said.

In a recent case, the Mumbai crime branch sent the samples of ambergris to the state-run wildlife forensic science laboratory in Nagpur, said a lab official. DNA analysis will reveal whether the sample is pure ambergris or is it adulterated, he added. Earlier, the seized samples were sent to the Hyderabad-based forensic science laboratory in at least three cases, the official said, adding that they cannot run a proper test. "The rise in the instances of the seizure of ambergris has triggered fear that either sperm whales are being poached or there can be adulteration in the substance, as it is highly valued," he added.

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