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In a joint operation, officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Chennai, along with the local forest and police personnel arrested an eight-member gang which allegedly tried to sell Ambergris (vomit of a sperm whale), worth about ₹8 crore, at Narsaraopet in Guntur district on Sunday.
On a tip-off that the gang was trying to sell ambergris – a solid waxy substance in grey, black or yellow produced in the intestines of sperm whales and used for manufacturing perfumes – the WCCB team and the Guntur district forest and police officials laid a trap and arrested the accused, said Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF-Wildlife) Rahul Pandey.
“It is a very rare operation. Ambergris is produced only by an estimated 1% of sperm whales. Chemically, ambergris contains alkaloids, acids and a specific compound called ambrein, which is similar to cholesterol. Ambergris floats on the surface of the water body and settles on the coast,” Mr. Pandey told The Hindu.
“Ambergris is used for making perfumes, especially to create fragrances like musk. It is believed to be in high demand in some places like Dubai. It is also used in some traditional medicines,” the CCF said.
The WCCB and the forest officials formed a decoy party and trapped the gang. “We are trying to find out how and from where they got the ambergris,” he said.
“One kg of ambergris is worth about ₹1 crore in the international market. Because of its high value it is referred to as floating gold. The WCCB officials seized 8.25 kg of ambergris from the gang,” Rahul Pandey said.
A case has been registered under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the accused, along with the seized material, were produced in the Narsaraopet court, which remanded them to judicial custody, the CCF added.
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