Six held with ₹2 cr.-worth whale ambergris

Police have seized ₹2 crore-worth whale ambergris, a waxy substance secreted by sperm whale, from six persons. Whale ambergris is used in perfumes.

The police said a team led by Tiruchendur Inspector M. Gnanasekaran, which was checking vehicles on Taluk Office Road on Monday following information about smuggling of banned products, stopped a car with six occupants and interrogated them. The passengers told the police that they were searching for potential buyers to sell 2 kg of whale ambergris, worth about ₹2 crore in international market.

They were identified as P. Elangovan, 52, of Palayapatti in Thanjavur district, R. Ramkumar, 27, Vamapuram near Aruppukottai in Virudhunagar district, J. Mohamed Aslam, 33 of Aliyoor in Nagapattinam district, I. Raja alias Raja Mohamed, 34, of Ariyamangalam in Tiruchi district, K. Venkatesh, 48, and A. John Britto, 48, both from Thanjavur district.

After seizing whale ambergris, banned under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the police alerted Tiruchendur ASP Harsh Singh who, in turn, informed Thoothukudi SP S. Jayakumar of the seizure.

The SP handed over the ambergris and the detained persons to Tiruchendur Forest Range Officer Ravindran. All the six were produced before a court in Tiruchendur which remanded them.