Unidentified boats off M'lore shore; Police detain 9 other boats without valid documents

Mangalore, November 17: The Coastal Security Police with the help from local fishermen leaders have taken into custody 9 boats that were operating off Mangalore shores without any valid documents on Wednesday evening.

Based on the complaint by fishermen leaders Naveen Bangera, Mohan Bengre and Karnataka Fisheries Development Corporation Nithin Kumar among others that a few unidentified boats were found in the deep sea and that these boats did not have fishing nets and accompanied with mini-boats with outward engine (that act as speed boat), the coastal security police decided to launch an operation to check the same.

The complaint gains significance as Deputy Commissioner Dr N?S?Channappa Gowda had recently appealed fishermen to inform the authorities concerned that if they found any 'foreign' boat in coastal region, they should inform the police as well as district administration.

Naveen Bangera said that the local fishermen had sighted a couple of boats without registration numbers and also without fishing nets in deep sea two days ago. The boats were also accompanied with mini-boats with outward engines that can ply at a speed of about 30 km per hour as against the normal boats which ply at about 10 to 15 km per hour, he informed.

9 boats detained

Though the Coastal Security Police left the shore in search of those suspicious boats, they found 9 other boats, also without registration numbers.

Coastal Security Police Inspector Mukund Nayak said that the boats that were found without valid documents and brought to shore were not local boats. At the same time, these 9 boats have nothing to do with the other boats which the fishermen leaders sighted in deep sea. “Our jurisdiction is only 5 nautical miles.

Hence, we cannot go into deep sea to check any boats moving in a suspicious manner,” he said and added that he would bring the same to the notice of the Coast Guards, who guard the shores in deep sea. He also said that he is yet to inform the Coast Guards.

Terror activities?

Referring to the Mumbai attack on November 26, 2008, fishermen leader Naveen Bangera said that the local fishermen had sighted unidentified speed boats on November 17, 2008, exactly 9 days before the Mumbai attack.

“Though we brought the same to the notice of the district administration as well as the police department including the Coastal Security Police, nobody took us seriously.

However, we were very sad when we heard of Mumbai terror attack within a few days on November 26, 2008,” he said and added that though he is not sure of the link between the unidentified speed boats found at the deep sea and the Mumbai terror attack, he said the possibility cannot be ruled out.