Abandoned Yacht Carrying Weapons Raised Security Scare, “No Terror Angle” Says Govt
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 18: A 16-metre yacht carrying some weapons and found abandoned near Harihareshwar in Maharashtra’s Raigad district created a security scare till the deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the yacht belonged to an Australian couple, was abandoned because of engine trouble and there was no terror angle in it.
The damaged boat was found near Harihareshwar Beach in Raigad, 190 km from Mumbai, by fishermen on Thursday morning. Three AK-47 rifles, bullets and documents were found on it. Fadnavis, however, said it was unclear why the boat was carrying weapons which were left behind in the yacht when it was abandoned due to engine trouble.
Raigad District Collector Mahendra Kalyankar said around 8 a.m. locals had discovered the weapons which had the label of a private security company. Following this, police checkpoints have come up in district with authorities probing the matter.
Fadnavis, who handles home department, said, “As of now, there has been no terror angle. But investigation is going on. We can’t rule out any angle as of now. I am just sharing primary information so there is no panic.” “Also we can’t say why were there ammunition present on the boat right now. The matter is being investigated,” he added. “We are in touch with the Central agencies and they have confirmed this information,” Fadnavis said.
The local police and the Anti-terror Squad are investigating the matter. The boat, called Lady Han, is owned by Hana Laundergun, an Australian citizen. Her husband James Harbert is the captain, Fadnavis said.
Official sources said the boat was on way to Europe via Muscat when it developed engine trouble on June 26. Around 1 pm that day, the boat’s crew were rescued. But the boat could not be towed and was abandoned. Eventually, it reached the Harihareshwar coast.
Police sources say the boat is registered in the U.K. and that the documents pertaining to crew members, said to be Indonesian nationals, have been retrieved. Police sources added that the boat, which bears the sticker of ‘Neptune Maritime Security’ — a firm which provides armed security to shipping and oil companies — was stranded in Oman. Authorities are probing how the boat found itself off the Shrivardhan coast.
A Coast Guard official said there was no security threat. “It is a UK registered yacht which was sailing from Oman to Europe. It had given a distress call and people on-board were rescued by ships in the vicinity of Muscat on June 26,” the official said. The yacht also carried some small arms of the AK series, he said.
The arms vendor has been contacted and the serial numbers of the weapons found on-board match with the ones missing from the vendor’s inventory, the official said. “Since a yacht moves slowly, it is permitted to carry small weapons. When the people on-board abandoned the boat, they did not carry the weapons with them,” the official said.
Later, the boat drifted and grounded ashore.
Raigad MLA, Aditi Tatkare, said she has requested Maharashtra Chief Minister for a special probe into the incident. She also said the incident is a major security scare as it comes a day ahead of a big festival. NCP MP from Raigad Sunil Tatkare demanded swift deployment of Central and State agencies to ward off any terror attack.
