Raigad: Security was tightened Thursday in Maharashtra’s Raigad district after a suspicious boat was found floating near a local beach at Harihareshwar.
Three AK rifles, ammunition and some documents related to the boat were found inside it, Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Maharashtra assembly.
“Raigad police and the ATS (anti-terrorism squad) are jointly investigating this matter. The Indian coast guard and central agencies have also been alerted and are working on this,” Fadnavis said.
Nearby areas around the Harihareshwar beach were put on alert, the police said, while it investigated how the boat came to be there.
Raigad MLA Aditi Tatkare requested Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to constitute a special team to probe the matter. She said the state’s popular “dahi handi” event was on Friday – a merriment associated with Krishna Janmashtami.
It would be followed by ten days of Ganeshotsav, she added. “People come here during these festivals. Security is an important issue. An additional team needs to be sent there so that people feel safe,” Tatkare told reporters outside the Assembly in Mumbai.
Primary details
Harihareshwar is a popular destination for tourists from nearby cities, particularly Mumbai and Pune. It was teeming with visitors during the Independence weekend four days ago.
On Thursday, the 16-metre boat in a broken condition was found abandoned at the Harihareshwar coast. It was first noticed by fishermen who alerted the local police.
When the local police peered into the the boat, they found three AK rifles and ammunition along with some documents.
Based on this, Devendra Fadnavis informed the assembly that the boat was named ‘My Lady Han’ and belonged to an Australian woman, Hana Lardengun, whose husband James Herbert was captain. The boat was going to Europe via Muscat.
“On 26 June 2022, around 10 am, there were issues with the boat’s engine and its sailors sent out a call for help. Around 1 pm, a Korean war boat rescued the people on board,” Fadnavis said.
While the people were rescued, the boat could not be towed due to to high tide and it floated up the Harihareshwar coast, Fadnavis said.
Police have been asked to be on high alert
Fadnavis also said there was “no confirmation of any terror angle”, and that the boat had just drifted towards the shore. “But we are not ruling out anything and investigating all aspects,” he said.
Fadnavis confirmed that three AK rifles and ammunition were found in the boat. “The boat in a half-broken condition came towards the Konkan coast due to high tide. Central agencies have been informed and nothing will be taken lightly,” he said.
Neptune P2P, the company providing security to Lady Han, released a statement that ThePrint has accessed. The statement read:
“In June 2022, Neptune P2P Group provided private security on the vessel ‘MY Lady Han’. The yacht was damaged during a monsoon in the Arabian Sea, causing the Captain to declare an emergency. While the crew were rescued, the yacht was unable to be salvaged due to the extreme weather conditions.
Earlier this morning, Neptune P2P Group were made aware that the vessel, which was presumed sunk, had washed up on Indian shores.
Neptune P2P Group are working with the owner of the vessel and the Indian and UK authorities to determine the official recovery procedures of the vessel and controlled items.”
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