Acting on a tip off, the police arrested Nagpur resident Rahul Tupare, 53, on Saturday who had come to the city to sell the prized possession which weighed a little more than a kilogram. (REUTERS FILE/ Representative Image)

Two persons have been arrested by Ghatkopar police while they were attempting to sell extremely rare Ambergris (whale spew) worth Rs 1.70 crore in the illicit market.

Whale ‘vomit’ or Ambergris is a very costly wax that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale. It can be found floating in tropical seas and is used in manufacturing perfumes.

Acting on a tip off, the police arrested Nagpur resident Rahul Tupare, 53, on Saturday who had come to the city to sell the prized possession which weighed a little more than a kilogram.

“When we caught Tupare , he was found in possession of semi solid rock like lump” said Akhileshkumar Singh, deputy commissioner of police, zone 7. Based on Tupare’s questioning, police picked up another person Lalit Vyas, 44, from the city who hails from Gujarat. It was Vyas who gave the natural byproduct to Tupare. “The scent is said to be pleasant and certain companies use it for perfumes,. Experts have examined the seizure who have prima facie confirmed that it is Ambergris.” said Singh.

The police stated that they are investigating about the further links and a team has been dispatched to Gujarat as well. “We suspect involvement of more people and a racket cannot be ruled out,” said Singh. The accused have been arrested under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. “The act clearly defines that any part of endangered animal is illegal for sale.,” said Singh.

Ambergris is formed in the digestive system of a sperm whale and is believed to be passed either as vomit or as part of the faeces.Described as floating gold, it is used as a fixative in perfumes as it is slowest in evaporating. While Ambergris can be found, police are not ruling out the possibly of it being obtained by killing sperm whales. “Finding Ambergris is extremely difficult and is usually exported to gulf where it fetches very high prices. Fishermen, who believe it as a fortune, may have killed the whale and we are probing further into this,” said a police officer privy to the investigation. “There is also superstition attached to it. Burning it for good scent will make one rich is a notion,”

The sperm whale was declared an endangered species in 1970. The seized lump will be sent to the lab for examination.

In October last year, the Kalwa police in Thane arrested three men in possession of Rs 2 crore worth of whale vomit and 6 kg pangolin scales worth Rs 20 lakh. The accused claimed to have found the substance floating in the sea in Ratnagiri.