Suspicious Boat with 11 Myanmarese Crew apprehended by Coast Guard Near Narcondum

Port Blair, July 18: The vigilant ships of Coast Guard, while patrolling near Narcondum Island apprehended one suspicious boat along with 11 Myanmarese crew in a late night operation on 17 July 16. The Coast Guard ships Rajkamal and Bhikaji Cama were on a routine patrol of Northern Group of Islands at 2300 hrs on 17 July, when they sighted one wooden boat in position 09 miles East of Narcondum Island. The Coast Guard ships tried to establish communication with the boat on maritime frequency to identify; however, the boat did not respond and increased speed to run away.
The boat was not flying any country’s flag and was not having any name or registration marking on its hull. Coast Guard ships warned the boat several times on loud hailer and VHF set and also flashed search light indicating the boat to stop and identify, however boat tried to evade and run away from Coast Guard ships. The crew of the boat were also seen throwing some items overboard into the sea, causing more suspicion. Thereafter, Coast Guard ships fired warning shots across the bow of the boat to forcefully stop her. Finally, the boat stopped and surrendered after approximately 02 hours of chase.
The Coast Guard boarding team boarded the boat and it was found that all 11 crew of the boat were Myanmarese and none of them were holding any passport. The vessel was carrying large quantity of fuel and water and master / crew could not give any reason for their presence in Indian waters. The vessel is 81 feet long and is suspected to be involved in human trafficking, as large number of used clothes of men and women have been found onboard. The Coast Guard ship is escorting the vessel to Port Blair, so that joint investigation may be carried out by all security and intelligence agencies.
The Indian Coast Guard has been maintaining constant vigil in maritime zones of India by deploying ships and aircraft regularly to monitor suspicious activities in our waters. Coast Guard is also committed to prevent any illegal exploitation of our rich marine reserves.