Fourth arrest in Rs 10cr ambergris case exposes interstate smuggling network
Margao:
Sanguem police arrested a fourth person in connection with last week's seizure of ambergris worth Rs 10 crore, further cementing their suspicions that the illegal whale vomit trade involves a sophisticated interstate smuggling syndicate.
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Sachin Mhatre, a resident of Pen, Raigad, was apprehended by a special police team and brought to Goa for questioning.
The arrest follows the June 6 seizure at Dabamol village in Sanguem, where three men—Sainath Shet from Ponda, Ratuakant Karapurkar from Zuarinagar, and Vegesh Redkar from Sawantwadi—were caught with nearly 6kg of the banned substance.
'A team was sent to Mumbai after interrogation of the three accused arrested earlier.
The team succeeded in locating him in Pen, and he was brought to Goa,' said Sanguem PI Ditendra Naik. The investigation revealed that Vegesh Redkar, one of the three men initially arrested, sourced the ambergris from Mhatre.
'His custodial interrogation will reveal further links,' Naik told
TOI
, confirming that this was indeed an interstate operation. 'There are likely to be more arrests. We will try to get to the bottom of the case and bust the illegal trade.'
The Raigad connection validates police suspicions about the organised nature of the smuggling ring. Nevertheless, choosing the remote Dabamol village as a transaction point continues to puzzle the police.
This case bears striking similarities to previous ambergris seizures in the region, including the Feb 2024 case where Konkan railway police arrested two Kerala residents with 6kg of whale vomit worth Rs 5.6 crore at Margao railway station.
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Police are examining possible connections between these cases and the 2020 Sawantwadi incident involving three Goans.
Ambergris, produced in sperm whale digestive systems, commands premium prices in international perfume markets despite being banned under India's Wildlife Protection Act 1972. The substance's rarity and commercial value continue to attract smugglers willing to risk severe legal consequences.
All four accused face charges under various sections of the Wildlife Protection Act, including illegal possession and trading of protected marine mammal derivatives.
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