Mangaluru: Six held while trying to sell ambergris worth Rs 3.48 Crore
Mangaluru, Feb 8: Police here on Tuesday arrested six persons while they were trying to sell 3.480 kg of ambergris (sperm whale vomit) worth Rs 3.48 crore from Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.
The arrested have been identified as Prashanth (24) from Kundapur, Sathyaraj (32) of Bengaluru, Rohit (27) of Thenkapadav, Rajesh (37) of Addur, Virupaksha (37) of Thenkayedapadav and Nagaraj (31), a resident of Kaup.
Police sources said they were found selling the ambergris, a high-valued, banned substance under the forest and environmental laws, near the Navodaya school at Balepuni in Bantwal taluk.
On being questioned, they told the police that the ambergris was given by Sedhu Manikya, a fisherman hailing from Tamil Nadu, the sources said. One Kg of ambergris costs Rs 1 crore in the international market and smugglers target whales for the substance.
The operation was carried out under the guidance of ACP Dinaker Shetty and a police team led by Konaje inspector Prakash Devadiga, the sources said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sportspersons winning gold in Olympics to get Rs 6 crore cash prize, says CM Siddaramaiah
‘Silver medalists to get Rs 4 crore, bronze-winners to get Rs 3 crore’
Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a cash prize of Rs 6 crore for sportspersons who win gold in the Olympics, and expressed confidence that sportspersons from Karnataka would reach the top in their respective games.
The CM, speaking during the ‘Karnataka Olympics 2025’ awards ceremony organized by the Karnataka Olympics Association, Bengaluru, on Sunday, congratulated the winners.
Assuring that the state government was supportive of sports, he said that, sportspersons who win silver would be given Rs 4 crore and bronze-winners would get Rs 3 crore as cash prize.
ALSO READ:Over half a dozen passenger trains cancelled for three days due to elephant movements
Siddaramaiah added that reservation for sportspersons in appointment to government jobs is being implemented starting January 2026. “Up to 3 per cent jobs in the Police and Forest Departments and 2 per cent in the other government departments are being reserved for sportspersons. An official order will be passed in this regard in January 2026,” he said and called upon youngsters to enter the sports field in larger numbers.
The CM also lauded the contributions of the Karnataka Olympics Association in the field of sports, since 1958, when it was founded. “The Association has been even more active since MLC Govindaraj took charge as Chairperson. It is a matter of pride that just like in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the Olympics Association in our state too functions from its own building,” he added.
