Rajkot Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) conducted a major operation near Shastri Maidan, arresting three individuals in possession of ambergris, commonly known as whale vomit, valued at approximately Rs 3 crore. The accused have been identified as Narendrasinh Mahipatsinh Jadeja, aged 51, a resident of Surendranagar; Ashish Sureshbhai Bhatt, aged 48; and Paresh Chandrakantbhai Shah, aged 66, both residents of Ratanpar village.
As per agency report, the arrests were made following a tip-off received by SOG Police Inspector Sanjaysinh Jadeja and Sub-Inspector Ghasura. Acting on this intelligence, the police intercepted an Alto car carrying the suspects and recovered 2.963 kilograms of ambergris, four mobile phones, and the vehicle itself, collectively valued at around Rs 2.97 crore. In the international market, the price of one kilogram of ambergris is estimated to be around Rs 1 crore.
Following their arrest, the SOG handed the accused over to the Forest Department for further investigation. Preliminary findings indicate that the trio had come to Rajkot in search of potential buyers for the contraband.
Police sources also revealed that a few months ago, the Rajkot SOG had arrested a man named Viram Bavaliya from Babra near the Aji Dam crossroads with 500 grams of ambergris. That case had also indicated the involvement of individuals from the Babra region.
The latest investigation uncovered that Narendrasinh works in the private sector, Ashish is employed with a bank, and Paresh is a retired photographer. The three reportedly knew each other prior to the incident. They allegedly received the ambergris from two men identified as Rana and Asif from Babra, who handed it over to them in Sardhar.
According to the police, the accused had come to Rajkot to find a buyer, but the deal was intercepted before completion. The sale, possession, or smuggling of ambergris is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, with offenders facing imprisonment of one to seven years. This is the second such case of ambergris smuggling reported in Rajkot, suggesting that an illegal trade network may still be active in the region.
