Man arrested for possessing Rs. 1.7 crore-worth whale vomit: Cops

MUMBAI | June 19, 2019 (PTI):

A 53-year-old man who had come to sell 1.3 kg of ambergris — or whale vomit — worth Rs. 1.7 crore was arrested in Mumbai, police on Tuesday.

Ambergris is a waxy substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas and used in perfume manufacture.

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Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of police and forest department officials laid a trap on Saturday in the Cama Lane of suburban Vidyavihar area and arrested Rahul Dupare, police said.

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"We seized 1.3 kg of ambergris, worth Rs. 1.7 crore, from him. It is a prohibited item. We have registered a case under relevant sections of the Wildlife Protection Act and have arrested Dupare," a police official said.

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The sperm whale is an endangered species protected under the Wildlife Act.

Ambergris is soluble in alcohol, chloroform, ether and certain volatile and fixed oils.