3 Pak crew members were injured in firing by Indian Coast Guard while intercepting heroin worth Rs 280 crore: Gujarat ATS tells Bhuj court

“We informed the court that the nine Pakistani nationals aboard the fishing trawler Al Haj were operating seven kilometres on the Indian side of the IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line) when the Indian Coast Guard, on the basis of intelligence inputs provided by the ATS, confronted the trawler. The accused tried to sail back on the Pakistan side of the IMBL. Therefore, the Indian Coast Guard had to fire 206 rounds to overpower the Pakistani fishing boat. In the process, three crew members of the trawler, including its tandel (captain) Gulam Umar Katchi, were injured,” Goswami said.

In a joint operation with the ATS, the Indian Coast Guard had intercepted the boat off Jakhau coast on Monday and apprehended the nine Pakistani nationals and seized 56 kilogrammes of heroin worth Rs280 crore from the fishing trawlers. The accused have been identified as Ahmed Ali Chher (62), Akbar Ali Kutchi (34), Shahid Kutchi (41), Musa Kutchi (65), Vasim Kutchi-Manak (36), Shehzad Nareza (37) Abid Ladak (35), Mohammed Anwar Sindhi (56) and Gulam Kutchi. The advocate said that Gulam Kutch was captaining the Pakistani fishing trawler.

“Gulam Kutchi suffered shrapnel injurie in his legs during the Indian Coast Guard operation and has been admitted to a hospital in Bhuj for treatment. Other two crew members also sustained minor injuries during the operation but they were given primary treatment and were among the eight who were produced in court,” said Goswami.

The prosecutor said that the drug consignment was eventually to be sent to south Delhi. “Investigation so far has revealed that the consignment was sent by one Mustafa of Karachi on April 24 and was to be eventually delivered in south Delhi. However, the ATS got intelligence about it and passed it on to the Indian Coast Guard,” Goswami said, adding it was a matter of investigation if Mustafa was just handler or owner of the consignment and as to who were to receive the consignment on the Indian side of the notional maritime boundary at the Arabian Sea. “The ATS has come to know that the tandel of the Al Haj was to use the code-word ‘Mr Kali’ while trying to contact the receiver and the receiver was to respond by codeword ‘Mohammed’” the special public prosecutor added.