Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said according to the preliminary information, there was no terror angle in the case but security agencies were looking into all details related to the incident
MUMBAI: An abandoned boat containing three AK-series assault rifles and ten boxes was found along the Raigad coastline on Thursday morning, police said. The boat was spotted at the Harihareshwar beach in Raigad district, nearly 200km from Mumbai, early on Thursday.
A police officer said some local residents went to check out the boat that appeared to have drifted to the beach. They found a box containing assault rifles and ammunition and immediately called the police.
A senior Raigarh police officer said multiple teams were rushed to the spot and the three AK-56 assault rifles and ten boxes containing over 200 live rounds were taken into custody. A wireless alert was sent out across the Raigad district and checkpoints were quickly set up to try and intercept whoever might have escaped from the boat before it was spotted,” the officer said.
Maharashtra deputy chief and home minister Devendra Fadnavis later said the boat is owned by an Australian woman whose husband is captain of the boat. “The boat was travelling from Muscat to Europe and was sailing from June 26. The captain of the boat gave a distress call after it caught in the high tide and rough sea. Korean navy rescued the boat and the crew members and handed them over to Oman authorities. The boat drifted in rough sea and was found at Harihareshwar today”.
The minister added: “As per the preliminary information, there is no terror angle involved in this, but we have been looking into every minute detail related to the incident. Police and Anti Terrorism Squad have been investigating it. A high alert has been sounded in the state”.
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