Coast Guard apprehends two fishing boats for smuggling

The Coast Guard Sunday apprehended two fishing boats involved in smuggling of liquor and cigarettes and bartering of goods with other ships 30 km off Mumbai shores, an official statement said. ‘Coast Guard ship Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, while on patrol off Mumbai, apprehended two motorised fishing boats ‘KGN’ and ‘Satguru Kripa’ involved in illegal smuggling and bartering of goods,’ the statement said. Coast Guard ship commandant Bibhuti Ranjan boarded the boats and undertook intensive checking. ‘The boats were carrying 12 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL), 140 packets of branded cigarettes, beedis, fine limestone, tobacco and other similar goods,’ the statement said. The boats were also carrying 24 additional people against the authorised eight for each boat. They were employed as casual labourers and did not have any identity proof. ‘The boats also did not have any mandatory permission to operate outside port limits for such business as they have been registered as fishing boats,’ it said. While ‘KGN’ has been registered at the Mumbai ferry wharf, ‘Satguru Kripa’ has been registered in Valsad, off the Gujarat coast.