KOCHI: A team of police officers from Vadakekkara police station in Ernakulam and owners of a fishing boat have been knocking at the doors of Tamil Nadu police since December 22 seeking their support to get back a `1.5-crore fishing boat which a group of fishermen from Colachel has captured and laid hold of.
Though an attempt was made on December 23 by the police team to recover the boat, which is currently anchored at Colachel harbour, they have to escape from the harbour when a group of people surrounded the police team and threatened to attack if they didn’t leave.
“We went there after senior officials of Tamil Nadu police assured us all the support to seize the boat and bring it back to Kochi. But when we reached there, they failed to act,” said Vadakkekara police station Sub Inspector P B Basheer, who is leading the probe. “We have secured proper court order to seize the boat. But despite senior officials of Kerala Police communicating the matter to Tamil Nadu police they are not cooperating with us,” Basheer said adding that they are again going to Colachel on Monday to take up the matter with the Tamil Nadu police officials.
It was on September 24 when the boat named “Anthony” set sail from Kunjithayi harbour in Ernakulam district with 12 workers from Colachel on board for fishing, After a couple of days, Paul Anto, the ‘srank’ of the boat who is also from Colachel, called the owners – Antony and Sarun Balachandran – on their mobile phone and told that the weather was rough along the Kerala coast and they are setting off to Colachel harbour with the catch.
“Anto told us that the boat will be brought back to Kunjithayi soon. Though we made repeated calls, he didn’t bother to return the call. When we complained to the police about the incident, he demanded that we pay him the money which we owe him,” said Saran. SI Basheer said that they verified the claims made by Anto and found it to be false. “It’s suspected that the workers led by Anto have conspired to hold up the fishing boat and ask for a ransom for releasing it,” the inspector said.