Ship with banned sat phone intercepted, crew arrested | NDTV.com
A ship was intercepted just off the Mumbai coast at midnight on Wednesday, and five people on board arrested, after intelligence alerts warned of "suspicious" cargo.
The ship was headed to Mumbai from Dubai.
Intelligence alerts warned the Coast Guard that the crew was using a Thuraya satellite phone to communicate with handlers in Dubai and India. Thuraya is a mobile satellite services phone company based in the UAE. Its sat phones were banned in India in 2010 over concerns that they could be misused by terrorists.
When the Coast Guard officials stepped on board 'MSV Yusufi', the crew threw its satellite phone overboard.
"The Coast Guard and Navy had deployed ships and aircraft for enhanced patrol that resulted in an interception of the dhow," the Coast Guard said in a statement. "The crew was reportedly in touch with one Mr Usman at Dubai for whom the goods were being brought.
Nearly 30 goats were found on the ship.
Officials suspect the ship was bringing in a large quantity of drugs.
Coast Guard intercepts suspicious ship from Dubai near Mumbai - The Hindu
The Coast Guard on late Wednesday night intercepted a suspicious ship, coming from Dubai which was carrying the banned Thuraya satellite phones. The five people arrested onboard MSV Yusufi, the ship coming from Dubai and heading to Mumbai, were in touch with Dubai using the satellite phones.
According to the officials from the Coast Guard, it had deployed ships and aircraft with the help of Navy on an intelligence input, which resulted in the interception of the said ship at about 12 kilometres off the Mumbai coast. The crew of the said vessel were in touch with one Mr. Usman from Dubai for whom the goods were being transported to Mumbai, said the officials.
On sighting the Coast Guard ships, the crew panicked and threw the satellite phones overboard. 27 goats, imported cigarettes and mobile accessories and television sets have been recovered from the vessel.
All five arrested crew members and the vessel has been transferred to the Yellow Gate police station and the joint interrogation is currently in progress.
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What were the goats for? Have cattle smugglers begun using the sea route too? Or were they for recreational purposes for the satellite phone smuggling crew?
A ship was intercepted just off the Mumbai coast at midnight on Wednesday, and five people on board arrested, after intelligence alerts warned of "suspicious" cargo.
The ship was headed to Mumbai from Dubai.
Intelligence alerts warned the Coast Guard that the crew was using a Thuraya satellite phone to communicate with handlers in Dubai and India. Thuraya is a mobile satellite services phone company based in the UAE. Its sat phones were banned in India in 2010 over concerns that they could be misused by terrorists.
When the Coast Guard officials stepped on board 'MSV Yusufi', the crew threw its satellite phone overboard.
"The Coast Guard and Navy had deployed ships and aircraft for enhanced patrol that resulted in an interception of the dhow," the Coast Guard said in a statement. "The crew was reportedly in touch with one Mr Usman at Dubai for whom the goods were being brought.
Nearly 30 goats were found on the ship.
Officials suspect the ship was bringing in a large quantity of drugs.
Coast Guard intercepts suspicious ship from Dubai near Mumbai - The Hindu
The Coast Guard on late Wednesday night intercepted a suspicious ship, coming from Dubai which was carrying the banned Thuraya satellite phones. The five people arrested onboard MSV Yusufi, the ship coming from Dubai and heading to Mumbai, were in touch with Dubai using the satellite phones.
According to the officials from the Coast Guard, it had deployed ships and aircraft with the help of Navy on an intelligence input, which resulted in the interception of the said ship at about 12 kilometres off the Mumbai coast. The crew of the said vessel were in touch with one Mr. Usman from Dubai for whom the goods were being transported to Mumbai, said the officials.
On sighting the Coast Guard ships, the crew panicked and threw the satellite phones overboard. 27 goats, imported cigarettes and mobile accessories and television sets have been recovered from the vessel.
All five arrested crew members and the vessel has been transferred to the Yellow Gate police station and the joint interrogation is currently in progress.
..................................................................................................................................
What were the goats for? Have cattle smugglers begun using the sea route too? Or were they for recreational purposes for the satellite phone smuggling crew?
don't know for sure
