Srinagar, June 6 -- In a major wildlife contraband bust, Goa Police have recovered ambergris - popularly known as whale vomit - worth an estimated Rs.10 crore from three individuals in South Goa.

Acting on a tip-off, officers intercepted a car in the remote village of Sanguem on Thursday and seized 5.75 kilograms of the rare substance. The suspects - Sainath Shet (50) and Ratnakant Karapurkar (55) of Goa, and Yogesh Redkar (40) from Sindhudurg, Maharashtra - were taken into custody.

Ambergris, a waxy, greyish substance produced in the digestive tract of sperm whales, is highly sought-after in the international perfume industry for its fixative properties. Often referred to as "floating gold," ambergris forms inside the whale to ease the...