'Whale vomit' seized in Kerala; five held with ambergris worth Rs 7.50 crore

MUNNAR: The forest department has seized 5 kg of ambergris, commonly known as 'whale vomit', worth Rs 7.50 crore, from a private resort in Munnar. Five persons were arrested. The arrested are Dindigul natives Murugan, Ravikumar, Theni native Velmurugan, Sethu and Munnar native Muniyaswamy.

The accused were caught from a private resort in Old Munnar. They were arrested during a search led by Munnar Forest Range Officer Harindra Kumar following a tip-off received by the Forest Department vigilance unit.

It is learnt that the accused had planned to sell the ambergris to Murugan, a lodge owner in Old Munnar. Murugan is yet to be caught. The Range Officer said that more information would be available only after detailed questioning.

This is the second time ambergris has been caught in Kerala. On July 9, three persons were arrested with 19 kg of ambergris worth Rs 30 crore from Chettuva in Thrissur. Ambergris is in great demand in the perfume market. It is protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act. These were widely used to make perfume. Their use was later banned.