80 kg of ambergris, steam fan from East India Company era seized

A special team of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) seized a whopping 80 kilograms of banned marine substance ambergris and 200-year-old antiques by arresting five people trying to sell it in northern Bengaluru.

Police said the suspects had gathered at a shop in Bagalagunte in an attempt to sell ambergris and antiques from the 17th and 18th centuries without licences or documents. They tried to lure buyers, saying the items are worth crores of rupees in the international market, a senior CCB officer said.

The CCB raided the place after receiving a tip-off, seized the substances and arrested the suspects. The officer gave their names as Majeeb Pasha, 48, Mohammed Munna, 45, Gulab Chand alias Guddu, 40, M Santosh, 31, and Jagannathachar, 52, all from Raichur.

Among the antique items they had put up for sale were two copper bottles belonging to the reign of East India Company and a steam fan dating back 1818, CCB officers said.

In June, the CCB had recovered ambergris, popularly known as 'Floating Gold', and arrested four people.