Kuwait boat probe: Trio took Kuwait-Saudi Arabia-Oman-Pakistan route before entering Indian shores, Mumbai Police say

A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded the trio, originally from Tamil Nadu, to police custody till February 10. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Three persons who have been arrested by Mumbai Police for illegally entering India via boat have said that they began their journey from Kuwait on January 28 and travelled through Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Muscat, Oman, and Pakistan before reaching Indian shores.

A Mumbai court on Wednesday remanded the trio, originally from Tamil Nadu, to police custody till February 10. The police said that they needed to verify the route taken by the trio and whether they had committed any crime in the international territory, newswire PTI reported.

The advocate of the accused, meanwhile, claimed that the trio escaped from their Kuwaiti employer who withheld their passports and ill-treated them.

Advocate Sunil Pandey said they are victims of circumstances. He said being citizens of India, they ought to be treated properly. "They were treated badly in Kuwait by their employer. They were not paid wages and by not returning their passports they were made hostages there. Hence, they decided to escape and return to their own country," Pandey told the court.

Pertinently, Mumbai police recovered GPS from the boat which, police said, needs to be sent for analysis to get clarity on the route taken by the three from Kuwait to India.

As per the remand note submitted in the court, "During the initial probe, the accused persons said they left Kuwait on January 28 and travelled to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Dubai, Muscat, Oman and Pakistan before entering the Indian shores."

The boat was spotted off the Mumbai coast during patrolling on Tuesday morning, following which a case was registered against Nitso Ditto (31), Vijay Vinay Anthony (29), and J Sahayatta Anish (29) under the provisions of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules for not following the due procedure required while entering the country.

They were arrested and produced before a metropolitan magistrate in Mumbai.

The trio had gone to Kuwait from Trivandrum in Kerala two years back through an agent, identified as Captain Madan, for employment, police said.

They were working as fishermen with one Abdulla Sharheed, who had kept their passports with him. The trio claimed that they were not paid wages regularly and that they were assaulted.

"The accused persons claim to have complained about the same to a local police station in Kuwait and with the Indian embassy there. However, when they failed to get any response, the trio decided to flee," the police said.

Since the three have crossed international borders, the police need to verify if they met anyone, whether they committed any offence in Kuwait or if they carried any suspicious article or individual on the boat during their travel, and if they have committed any act that would be detrimental to national and international safety, the note stated. (With inputs from PTI)