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‘Whale vomit’ leads city police to Gujarat
On June 16, the Ghatkopar police arrested Nagpur resident Rahul Tupare, 53, who had allegedly come to the city to sell the substance. They seized the ambergris, weighing a little over a kilogram and worth ₹1.70 crore in the illicit market, from him.
After the Ghatkopar police arrested two people for trying to trade rare ‘whale vomit’, or ambergris, earlier this month, they have now dispatched a team to Kutch in Gujarat for further investigation.
Ambergris is a substance formed in the intestines of the sperm whale.
On June 16, the Ghatkopar police arrested Nagpur resident Rahul Tupare, 53, who had allegedly come to the city to sell the substance. They seized the ambergris, weighing a little over a kilogram and worth ₹1.70 crore in the illicit market, from him. Based on his statements, police then arrested Gujarat resident Lalit Vyas, 44, for allegedly handing the substance to Tupare.
“Vyas told us that he found the ambergris floating in the sea and that it would have fetched him around ₹8-10 lakh. However, the actual value is much higher. He then contacted Tupare, who came to the city to sell it to a potential client,” said an officer from the Ghatkopar police station.
Trade of ambergris is illegal as the sperm whale is an endangered species.
