Port Blair, July 19: The suspicious boat with 11 Myanmarese crew, which was apprehended by Coast Guard on Monday near the Narcondum Island was brought to Port Blair on Tuesday and handed over to police for further investigation by law enforcement agencies. The boat was found under suspicious circumstances by Coast Guard patrol ships Bhikaji Cama and Rajkamal in Andaman Sea, nine miles East of the Narcondum Island. On challenge by Coast Guard patrol ships, the boat started fleeing and crew of the boat could be seen dumping some items into the sea. The boat surrendered only after Coast Guard ships fired warning shots, after a chase of about two hours.
While checking the boat, the Coast Guard found that the boat was not having any name or registration number written on hull and was not flying any country’s flag. A large quantity of fuel and water was found stored in 40-50 drums and large number of used clothes of men and women were also found which is unusual for such boats. VHF Communication sets were also found hidden in engine room of the boat. None of the crew members was having passport and no fishing gears or cargo was found onboard. The master and crew could not explain what they were doing in Indian waters and why they tried to run away from Coast Guard and what did they throw into the sea. Therefore, on suspicion, boat was detained and brought to Port Blair for further investigation.
On arrival, Inspector General Kuldeep Singh Sheoran, PTM, TM, Commander Coast Guard Region A&N visited the vessel and interacted with the crew of Coast Guard ship Bhikaji Cama. He appreciated the efforts and alertness of CG personnel involved in the operation. Later, Police team from Central Crime station, Port Blair took custody of the boat and crew for further joint interrogation by all security and intelligence agencies.
There have been several instances, when vessels involved in human trafficking and arms smuggling were apprehended by Coast Guard in Andaman Sea. In September 2013, Coast Guard ship Akkadevi apprehended 04 Thai and 01 Bangladesi gun runners from a vessel in North Andaman sea. In addition, hundreds of poachers and illegal immigrant from neighboring countries Myanmar, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand have been apprehended by Coast Guard and Police during last five years.
