Three men from Kanyakumari were apprehended in a Kuwaiti fishing trawler on Tuesday morning by the crew of Chaitrali, a patrol boat of the Yellow Gate police station in Mumbai. They were stopped by the coastal police at Prongs Lighthouse, about four nautical miles from the Gateway of India, and taken to Colaba police station.The three were identified as Nitso Ditto, 31, J Sayyantha Anish, 32, and Enfant Vijay Vinay Anthony, 32. Police said they were professional fishermen who left Kuwait on 28 January.We are questioning them, said a Colaba officer. They couldnt properly answer in English or Hindi. We havent decided on action yet as they seem to be victims, though entering illegally.The 30-metre Kuwaiti vessel reaching Mumbai undetected represents a major lapse by the Navy and Coast Guard, which regularly patrol the seas. Naval sources claimed stopping the vessel first at Prongs Lighthouse before alerting police. However, DCP Latkar said police stopped the vessel and then alerted the Navy.The defence forces have claimed thorough sea scans, especially after 26/11. However, they were unable to explain Wednesday how the vessel came so close undetected. Last year, a damaged arms-laden yacht was found off Raigad.
