Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #535

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Pharmacist Arrested For Selling Whale Vomit Worth Over $2M
According to offi- cials, the accused Yogesh Joshi (36) came to Mumbai from Beed district to sell whale vomit.
Also known as ambergris, whale vomit is consid- ered valuable.
Senior Inspector Jyoti Desai who received a tip-off from an informer, directed her police inspector Pardesi who laid a trap with the help of PSI Ulhas Kholam and his detection staff near Arey Market Unit number 5.
The suspicious police took the accused into cus- tody when he was seen walking with
a purple-colour tif- fin bag in his hand. Later, after searching him in
presence of the forest official Surendra Patil, they recovered 5
kilograms of whale vomit from the tiffin bag.
During the interro- gation, it was found that the accused was a pharmacist, a res- ident of Beed. Joshi was given this substance by an unknown ‘baba’ to sell.
Being a pharma- cist, Joshi knew where this sub- stance is used and who can buy it. He was looking for the buyer and even got in touch with some people in Mumbai in this regard before coming from Beed, said an Aarey police offi- cial.
The whale vomit is considered very valuable and is used to make medicine. If the
vomit starts to float on the sur- face of salt mixed water, then it is considered real. A forest officer who examined the seized vomit, said it was real. “We have, however, sent the sub- stance to forensic lab for further examination,” he added.
A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 under sec- tions 44, 51, 2, 39, 57, 49B, 9, and 48A. “The accused pro- duced before a court, which remanded him in police custody for further probe,” another official said.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine