Panaji, Feb 16 (PTI) Two persons were arrested on Friday at Margao railway station in Goa for allegedly possessing ambergris, also called whale vomit or grey amber, worth Rs 5.6 crore, an official said.

Ambergris, created by the bile duct of the sperm whale, is often called "floating gold" for the immense price it fetches in the international market due to its use in the manufacture of luxury perfumes.

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"Arun Rajan (30) and Nibin Varghese (29), hailing from Kerala, were held at Margao station at 3pm with 5.694 kilograms of ambergris on a tip off received by the Railway Protection Force. They were about to board a train to their native state," the official said.

"A railway police team under Inspector Sunil Guddler along with personnel from the RPF and forest department apprehended Rajan and Varghese and seized a carton in which the ambergris was concealed," he said.

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Sperm whales, the source of ambergris, are a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

The Act also prohibits the possession of ambergris and its trade.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)