Police arrested a man in Mumbai on Wednesday for allegedly possessing ambergris, a banned marine substance commonly called whale vomit or grey amber, worth over Rs 2.6 crore, an official said.
The 25-year-old man, Vaibhav Kalekar, was arrested by the Mumbai police's crime branch from near the Trident Hotel in south Mumbai, he said.
"He was nabbed based on a tip-off that he was trying to illegally sell ambergris. During his search, the officials found his carrying 2.6 kg ambergris," the official said.
It is suspected that he had procured it from Dapoli in Ratnagiri district, where a few whales were found dead few a months back, he added. The accused, who hails from Ratnagiri, was arrested under relevant sections of the Wild Life (Protection) Act and further investigation is underway, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
