As many as three people were arrested in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai on Friday with Ambergris, commonly known as whale vomit, worth around Rs 10 crores.

According to reports, they were held in an anti-smuggling operation carried out by officials of the forest department.

The operation was carried out based on a tip-off that approximately 11 kilograms of Ambergris had been smuggled into Madurai, forest officials informed.

Based on the information, a test was carried out at a jewellery workshop on Chinnakadai Street in South Masi Road in Madurai, reported ANI.

During the drive, officials recovered and seized a total of 11 kilograms of Ambergris hidden in the workshop.

Following the recovery of the whale vomit, Rajaram, the owner of a jewellery shop on Manjana Kara Street, Sundarapandi, the owner of a jewellery workshop in the Villapuram housing board area and Kavi, a driver from the Keeranur area in Sivagangai district were taken into custody.

They are under interrogation, officials informed, adding that they were on the lookout for a larger nexus of smuggling operations.