Boat With AK-47: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the boat carrying three AK-47s belonged to an Australian couple who abandoned it after an engine failure. Prima facie, there is no terror angle, but it is not clear why it was carrying the weapon.
The damaged boat was found by fishermen near Harihareshwar beach in Raigad, 190 km from Mumbai. Three AK-47 rifles, bullets and documents have been recovered from him.
Boat With AK-47 is Belongs to Australion Captain
Devendra Fadnavis, who also oversees Maharashtra’s home department, said, “As of now, there is no terrorist angle. But the investigation is on. We cannot rule out any angle as of now. I am sharing only preliminary information.” So there is no panic there”.
“We cannot even say why the ammunition was present on the boat now. The matter is being investigated,” he said.
“We are in touch with the central agencies and they have confirmed this information,” Fadnavis said.
At present, the local police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad are probing the matter.
The boat, named Lady Han, is owned by Australian citizen Hana Laundergan. Her husband James Harbert is the captain, Mr Fadnavis said.
The 16-metre boat was en route to Europe via Muscat when an engine failure occurred on 26 June. Around 1 pm that day, the boat’s crew was rescued.
But the boat could not be towed and was abandoned. Eventually, it reached the Harihareshwar coast.
Security has been tightened along the coast and the area has been put on high alert. Coast Guard and other agencies have been informed.
Raigad MLA Aditi Tatkare said that she has requested the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to conduct a special inquiry into the incident. She also said that the incident is a major security threat as it comes a day before a big festival.
