Abandoned boat with Arabic inscription found off Navsari coast, probe underway
The police have seized the boat, its engines, and have invited an expert to translate the inscription
3 min read
The boat is now under investigation by security agencies and forensic experts to decipher its origin (Express Photo)Purshottam Tandel, 55, a cage fish farmer was surprised to find an abandoned boat on sea off the Navsari coast around a month back. He carefully tugged the 40-50 feet long boat along to the shore, removed its engine and took it home. However, later, when the inscriptions in Arabic script on the boat caught his eye, he alerted the police who took custody of the boat and its accessories. The boat is now under investigation by security agencies and forensic experts to decipher its origin.
Tandel who belongs to Bhat village in Navsari’s Gandevi taluka was around a kilometre-and-half into the sea checking the cage he had installed for the catch when he found the boat.
Tandel told The Indian Express, “When I was checking the catch, I found something floating at a far distance. I dived into the sea, swimming for around half an hour. When I reached closer, I found it to be an empty boat with sand inside. I pulled the boat and brought it to the cage fishing area and tied a rope to it so that it won’t sail further.”
With the help of his two sons and and five other youths, he brought the boat ashore, anchored it, and cleaned it.
“We removed the engines and took it home as a precautionary measure in case someone might steal it. While cleaning the boat, we found something written in the Urdu or Arabic language,” he added.
Soon, word spread about Tandel’s discovery and the village sarpanch Ketan Tandel came to see the boat. Seeing the inscription he advised Tandel to inform the police.
On September 4, Tandel and the sarpanch reported the discovery of the boat at the Dholai port’s marine police station.
Navsari Marine Police Inspector MR Chavda reached the Bhat village, checked the boat, and seized the two engines from Tandel’s house. The police also notified security agencies and ensured that nobody touched the boat.
On Friday, the coastal police, Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad officials, and Forensic Science Laboratory officials reached the village and examined the boat.
Navsari Marine Police Inspector MR Chavda said, “We have seized the boat and its engines, and we have invited an expert to translate the inscription. We don’t know whether the boat is from Pakistan or Iran”.
“The Bomb Disposal Squad dogs and FSL officials also conducted a search and found no traces of anything inside the boat. We have intimated about the discovery of such a boat to the higher police authorities and other agencies, and they are also probing it,” Chavda added.
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