Police have arrested three persons for allegedly smuggling ambergris, or whale puke which used in making cosmetics, worth about Rs 7 crore, police said on Sunday. Ambergis is a waxy substance produced in the intestines of sperm whales. According to police, the three men were apprehended on Saturday after they brought the expensive substance from Junagadh for a client in Ahmedabad. The police recovered from them 5.35 kg of the ambergris valued at around Rs 7 crore in the international market, they said.
“We have arrested three persons for smuggling 5.35 kg ambergris. They are part of a network in which so far 10 people are suspected to be involved. Further investigation into the case is underway,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VII) Premsukh Delu said.
The accused were booked under provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act after the forensic team said that prima facie, the product found in their possession was ambergris, he said. The accused were identified as Sharin Cheda (from Junagadh), Khalid Ofi (from Bhavnagar) and Sumer Soni (from Udaipur in Rajasthan), he said.
The accused procured the product from Junagadh and came to Ahmedabad to deliver it to someone whom the police have identified, he added.
Earlier in March this year, a 49-year-old woman in Thailand found whale vomit worth almost £190,000 while walking near her beach house. Siriporn Niamrin was taking a stroll along the beach after a rainstorm when she spotted a strange-looking huge mass wash up on the coast.
Also called ‘floating gold’ and ‘treasure of the sea’, Ambergris is produced by sperm whales when bile ducts in the gastrointestinal tract make secretions to ease the passage of large or sharp objects and when the whale vomits, it solidifies and floats to the surface. It has a foul smell at first but once it dries out, it develops a sweet and long-lasting fragrance, hence it has a high value in the high-end perfume industry.
(With inputs from PTI)
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
Comments
0 comment