An abandoned boat was found near the Harihareshwar beach in the Raigad district somewhere around 200km from Mumbai. The boat contained 3 AK-56 rifles along with several rounds of ammunition.
The boat is named Ladyhan and is owned by an Australian lady, it was sailing to Europe and had a stopover at Muscat, Oman.
Earlier today, the boat was found wrecked by local fishermen and was reported to the local police. The Raigad police along with several teams rushed to the spot and took custody of 200 rounds of ammunition along with 3 AK-56 rifles.
An alert was issued across the Raigad district and several checkpoints were set up to intercept anyone who may have escaped the boat.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media that the boat had broken down and had drifted towards the Raigad coast due to high tides.
“The boat’s engine failed and the sailors called for help. A Korean warship rescued the sailors from the boat and handed them over to Oman. The boat could not be towed due to rough seas. The information received from the Indian Coast Guard is that the boat is stranded on the Harihareshwar coast due to the undercurrent of the sea,” Fadnavis said.
Both the local police and the anti-terrorist squad are investigating the incident and alert orders have been issued to all police units in view of the upcoming festivals, he added.
He also reassured by saying that there was no terror angle involved in this matter and they have been looking into every minute detail related to this incident.
He said,” Police and Anti-Terrorism Squad have been investigating it. A high alert has been sounded in the state”.
