31 December,2023 11:27 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
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A court in Thane has granted bail to two people who were arrested earlier this month on suspicion of possessing ambergris, popularly known as whale vomit, worth Rs 3 crore. First Class Judicial Magistrate M D Nanaware granted their release on a Rs 20,000 bail, with the condition that they report to the local police station every Tuesday, a report in PTI stated.
According to the report, the accused, both 46 years old and from the Raigad district, were seized by city police on December 21 at Modella check naka with the smuggled ambergris, prompting charges under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Advocate Sagar Kadam, representing the accused, requested bail, highlighting that the item had been seized, rendering prolonged custody unnecessary. However, the prosecution argued against bail, expressing concerns about a potential larger network and the accused influencing the investigation if released.
The magistrate, in her ruling, found insufficient grounds to deny bail, stating that the accused are eligible for it. As a result, the court granted them bail, allowing their release. "No strong ground was made out to reject their bail application. Hence, they are entitled to bail," the court said.
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Meanwhile, in another unrelated incident, in Mumbai's Aarey forest, portions of leopard skin and nails were dumped in a lake, an official told PTI. According to a report by the news agency, they have launched a probe into the incident.
Reportedly, a worker stumbled on these leopard parts wrapped in a cloth on the Marol side of the forest on Saturday morning. The authorities were promptly notified about the finding.
Pawan Sharma, the founder of the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and an honorary wildlife warden, stated that the occurrence looks to be related to poaching or illicit wildlife trafficking and that Mumbai range forest officials would take appropriate action.
To probe deeper into the issue, the agency is comparing leopard data from Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Aarey, the PTI report added.
According to the report, leopards, as the city's apex predators, are included on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, giving them the highest level of protection.
With PTI inputs
