Three persons hailing from Kanyakumari, employed in Kuwait, were apprehended on Tuesday morning near Prong’s Lighthouse off Mumbai for travelling in a Kuwaiti vessel without permission, police said on Tuesday. They were intercepted by the crew of the Chaitrali patrol boat from the Yellow Gate police station and were handed over to Colaba police.The Kuwaiti vessel coming undetected to Mumbai is seen as a big lapse on the part of the Navy and Coast Guard. Despite regular patrols by Naval and Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, as well as the Navy’s P-8i aircraft, and the vigilance maintained by Navy and Coast Guard helicopters, the vessel managed to slip through unnoticed.
Naval sources initially claimed to have first intercepted the vessel at Prongs Lighthouse before alerting the police. However, DCP Latkar countered this, asserting that the vessel was halted by the police who then notified the Navy.
The Naval spokesperson, refusing to acknowledge any lapse on their part, deferred to the ongoing police investigation.