Idli seller held with whale puke worth Rs 5 crore

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A 43-year-old idli seller from Naigaon was found in possession of 2 kg of whale vomit, worth Rs 5 crore, which he wanted to use to pay off his debts, police said on Friday.

Shendu Raman Shrinivasan, who was arrested by Aarey police on Wednesday, told officers he had taken a loan for his idli shop. However, he was struggling to repay it.

Recently, he came in contact with a man claiming to be a resident of Gujarat. The man lured Shrinivasan into his business and promised huge profit. In dire need of money, he fell into his trap, they added.

Shrinivasan had made a deal with a man in Aarey Colony, who turned out to be a police informer and tipped off the officers.