On Wednesday, the Mumbai police arrested three individuals, originally hailing from Tamil Nadu, for unlawfully entering India via a fishing boat they sailed from Kuwait, a move that raised concerns regarding potential maritime security lapses.
According to a police official, the boat was spotted off the Mumbai coast during routine patrolling on Tuesday morning. Through initial investigations, it was revealed that the trio were fishermen from Tamil Nadu who had been employed in Kuwait for the past two years. Reportedly mistreated by their employer, the three individuals embarked on a fishing boat belonging to their employer without authorization, seeking to flee from the Gulf nation and illegally entered Indian territory.
The individuals apprehended were identified as Infant Vijay Vinod Anthony and Sahaya Antony Anish, both aged 29 and residents of Kanyakumari, along with Nidiso Dito, aged 31, from Ramnathpuram in Tamil Nadu, as confirmed by the official.
Maritime Security concerns: 26/11
A local court has remanded them to police custody until February 10. This incident has sparked concerns regarding maritime security, recalling the haunted memories of the 26/11 terror attacks when ten Pakistani terrorists arrived by sea before launching an assault on the city in November 2008.
The 26/11 attacks resulted in the loss of 166 lives and left hundreds injured. According to the FIR, “A suspicious boat was spotted by officials from the Yellow Gate police station around 7:30 am on Tuesday during routine patrolling duty in the Arabian Sea. The boat, of a different make, was observed maneuvering near the Sassoon Dock. Subsequently, the police patrolling boat approached and found three individuals on board.”
The FIR
The three individuals were unable to communicate in Marathi or Hindi instead, they spoke broken English, which heightened suspicion, as reported. Subsequently, the police patrolling team alerted the South Region control room and requested assistance. In response, two police boats and one from the Navy were dispatched to the location, as detailed in the FIR.
Further inquiry revealed that the trio were fishermen, and the fishing boat they sailed on belonged to their employer, Abdullah Sharahit, in Kuwait, the official added.
According to the FIR, they commandeered the fishing boat from Kuwait without authorization, traversed international borders, and unlawfully entered Indian territory without passports.
The police arrested them after filing a case under section 3 (a) with penal section 6 (a) of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules for not following the due procedures required for entering India.
A complaint was filed at the Colaba police station by a 34-year-old police constable of the Yellow Gate police station.
