Rajkot: The State Monitoring Cell (SMC) seized 4.3kg of suspected ambergris from the limits of Vartej police station in Bhavnagar district and detained four persons.The seized contraband is valued at Rs 4.30 crore in the international market.Acting on a tip-off, a team led by SMC inspector R K Karamta raided a salt-pan area close near Budhel village and caught the four individuals. Experts from the forest department and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) confirmed that the seized substance was ambergris.The persons arrested are Imran Parmar, Sajid Khan Pathan, Faizan Madhra and Shabbir Saiyad. They were booked under the Wildlife Protection Act. Initial interrogation of Parmar and Pathan revealed that two individuals from Bhavnagar, Abhishek Rathod and Bharat Bharwad, had given the ambergris to them two days ago for safekeeping. The duo were lured with the promise of a hefty commission once the ambergris was sold.Imran called Madhra and Saiyad to Budhel to help look for potential buyers. The contraband was handed over to the friends to hide until a deal was finalised. However, while the four accused were gathering to coordinate the sale, the SMC team raided the spot and seized the contraband.
