Kuwaiti boat with trio that reached Mumbai undetected in Feb handed over to its owner

Mumbai: Seven months after a Kuwaiti boat was seized when three men on board reached Mumbai undetected, giving a scare to security agencies, the vessel has been handed over to its owner after completion of legal formalities, officials have said.

The incident occurred on February 6 when three men hailing from Tamil Nadu arrived in Mumbai on a boat which remained undetected all the way from Kuwait, raising questions about maritime security which was overhauled after Mumbai faced a major sea-borne terror attack in November 2008, a strike plotted and directed from Pakistan.

The Kuwaiti boat was spotted in the Arabian Sea near Sassoon Dock in south Mumbai and the three men on board the vessel were apprehended by police. Cops later placed the trio under arrest for entering illegally into India and seized the boat.

Seven months after the incident, the boat, which was seized by police as part of the investigation into the case, was handed over to its owner Abdullah Sharahit on Thursday, an official said.

Sharahit came to Mumbai and went to the Colaba police station along with two lawyers and took custody of the boat after fulfilling legal formalities, he said.

The incident had sparked serious concerns about maritime security post the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai.

The three men had reached Mumbai shores from Kuwait, where they were employed, by sailing in the boat for more than 10 days. The trio reached the metropolis by navigating the route with the help of a GPS device.

According to media reports from that time, the trio fled the Gulf country as they faced torture and exploitation by their employer.

(Inputs from PTI)