Acting on an intelligence input, the security agencies on Sunday detained and searched a Denmark-flagged merchant vessel and interrogated its crew for suspected offloading of arms and ammunition off the coast of Mumbai, The merchant vessel was anchored just 2 km from the Gateway of India.
The Intelligence Bureau had specific information that a person with a certain name was on board a merchant vessel heading towards Mumbai to offload arms and ammunition off the Mumbai coast. The IB and other agencies, including the Navy and the Coast Guard, the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad, the coastal police, the immigration authorities and the directorate-general of shipping, were pressed into action. The authorities initially were unable to find the suspected ship at the suspected location.
A radio message was flashed to all merchant vessels and tankers anchored off Mumbai asking if any of them had a person of that name in its crew. In response, MV Danica Sunrise, flying the Danish flag, confirmed affirmative.
The vessel was then anchored 2 km off the iconic Gateway of India. “Our job was only to identify the ship, which we did. The rest of the procedures are being undertaken by the security agencies,” a shipping official said.
The vessel had two crew members with the name in question working as security guards. It had a total of eight crew on board.
The interrogation and search of the vessel began at 10 pm on Sunday.
It revealed that both security guards were retired British Army soldiers and their work contract was ending on Monday, April 18. They were due to return home by a Jet Airways flight to London on Tuesday. “The
investigation is going on... till now we have not got any arms and ammunition,” a source said.
Mumbai deputy commissioner of police (operations) Rajkumar Vhatkar said: “No arms, ammunition or other suspicious objects were found on board. The eight crew members are still being questioned. Nothing more can be said till the questioning is complete.”