‘Ambergris’ seizure: One more arrested

Kochi: The forest department on Friday arrested one more person –– Muhammed Ishak (31) of Androth island in Lakshadweep –– in connection with the seizure of suspected Ambergris from Lakshadweep Guest House here on Thursday night.
Two persons, both officials with the Lakshadweep police, were nabbed on Thursday. Although they claimed that they were keeping it for a friend and were unaware of its contents, their arrests were recorded for the possession of the substance.The duo, identified as Noushad and Jaffer, have been remanded to judicial custody.
Meanwhile, forest officials have found the involvement of one more person Jipson of Kalamassery who is connected to the crime. He is a friend of Ishak, and both were trying to make profit through the trade of Ambergris, sources said.
Ishak had kept the contraband in the room of the guest house and had returned to Lakshadweep on Thursday evening. Police and forest officials had seized the contraband by late night and subsequently information was passed to the Lakshadweep police to intercept him once the ship arrived in Lakshadweep. The Lakshadweep police then sent him back to Kochi on a flight on Friday. Forest officials arrested him on arrival at Kochi airport on Friday afternoon.
Forest officials said that whether the contraband was in fact Ambergris can be confirmed only through testing. The substance usually would be hardened material, but the seized material was squishy, officials said, adding that it could indicate that the material was fresh.
Around one-and-a-half kg of the alleged contraband was confiscated by a joint team of city police and forest department officials on Thursday night.