Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government is likely to hand over the probe into the spotting of an Iranian fishing boat off the state coast on Sunday under suspicious circumstances to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told here on Monday that the government will take a decision in this regard after verifying all facts related to the incident. The boat was intercepted by the Coast Guard 100 kms west off Alappuzha and brought to Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram district.
The state government is planning to hand over the investigation to the central as it has found the presence of a satellite phone and identity cards of two Pakistanis intriguing. The card holders were not among the 12-member crew taken into custody by the police.
The police, who questioned two people who handled the satellite phone with the help of a translator contradictory. They were interrogated after the data on the phone was decoded by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).
Even though the detained crew claimed that they were fishermen, the police have taken it with a pinch of salt. The investigators have ruled out the possibility of the boat drifting into Indian waters accidentally since it had covered quite a long distance. The arrested men, who are being interrogated at the Vizhinjam police station, reportedly said that they were poor fishermen living on Pak-Iran border. The central agencies are trying to confirm the statement with the help of the Iranian Government.
The Coast Guard, which intercepted the boat based on intelligence inputs, believes that the boat was likely to be involved in smuggling contraband. Curiously, the Vizhinjam police could not find any weapons, drugs or other materials on the boat. This leaves with the possibility of an attempt to smuggle something from the state.
State Director General of Police (DGP) TP Senkumar said that crew members were being questioned for possible smuggling and breach of the country’s national security. The police chief has refused to divulge any further details of the investigation.
