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National

Stolen boat seized

Staff Reporter

Marine Enforcement Wing personnel taking control of the stolen boat in Kollam; (inset) Colachel natives Jagadesh and Thankaraj, who were in the stolen boat.

KOLLAM: A mechanised fishing boat stolen from the Thoppumpadi harbour in Kochi on Monday night was seized by the local fishermen after a film-style chase at sea on Tuesday morning. Two natives of Colachel in Tamil Nadu, Jagadesh and Thankaraj, found on the boat, were arrested. They had joined the crew of the boat recently.

The Marine Enforcement Wing (MEW) personnel said they were probing the angle whether the boat was stolen for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Thefts of mechanised fishing boat are very rare in the State, they said.

The boat arrived at the Thoppumpadi habour on Monday evening after fishing and the catch was soon auctioned. The boat was set for another fishing sail at 10 a.m. The owner stocked the boat with enough diesel and left. By 8.40 p.m. he learnt that the boat was stolen and lodged a complaint with the Thoppumpadi police. The police alerted the MEW, which in turn beamed wireless messages to all fishing boats.

By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, the crew of two fishing boats from here noticed the Kochi boat off the Kollam coast, speeding towards the south. They signalled the boat to anchor, but the Kochi boat began speeding at full throttle. The two on the stolen boat surrendered after a chase that lasted an hour.

The boat was brought to the Neendakara harbour here at 12.30 p.m. The MEW soon handed over the boat and the two persons to the Thoppumpadi police.

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