Mumbai Police have busted a smuggling racket involving ambergris, commonly referred to as “whale vomit”, a highly valuable substance in the international market. Officers of Kurla Police Station laid a trap and apprehended a smuggler, from whom the prohibited substance valued at approximately Rs 80 lakh was recovered. Upon the recovery, Kurla Police immediately informed the Forest Department, following which a case was registered and the accused was arrested.
According to the complaint filed by Forest Officer Mahendra Gite of the Mumbai Special Service Division, the incident took place on the night of December 20, 2025. During routine patrolling, the Forest Department received information that Kurla Police PSI Shriram Gholap had detained a suspicious individual who was found in possession of a substance suspected to be ambergris.
Acting on the information, a Forest Department team rushed to the spot. Investigating officer Mahendra Gite conducted a preliminary examination using the hot rod test, which confirmed that the seized substance was whale ambergris.
The accused has been identified as Vishnubhai Rajubhai Makwana, aged 28, a resident of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The seizure was made on LBS Marg, near the Bohri Kabrastan gate in Kurla West. The total weight of the recovered ambergris is 627 grams, with an estimated market value of around Rs 80 lakh.
The seized material has been duly sealed as per procedure. A sample weighing 27 grams has been separated for chemical analysis, while the remaining 601 grams have been seized as evidence. A case has been registered against the accused under Sections 39, 44, 49(B) and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The Kurla Police is now probing possible links of the accused with inter-state or international smuggling syndicates. Senior Police Inspector Vikas Mhamunkar of Kurla Police Station confirmed that the accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway.