PARADIP : One of the 21 crew members of MV Debi vessel, which has been detained at Paradip port for the last 45 days in connection with the seizure of cocaine worth Rs 220 crore, suffered injuries after reportedly trying to end his life on Sunday.
The crew member, identified as Bui Cong Hou, attempted suicide by jumping into the sea from the Vietnamese cargo ship. Registered in Panama, the vessel was detained by the Customs Department following the seizure of 22 kg of cocaine on November 30.
Sources said as part of their investigation into the cocaine smuggling case, customs officials have confiscated the crew members’ cell phones and laptops. Lack of communication with the outside world and prolonged confinement in the vessel has led to strife among crew members who are now suffering from depression and anxiety.
On Saturday night, a physical altercation broke out between two groups of crew members during which Hou sustained injuries on his hand.
Subsequently, Hou jumped into the sea out of frustration. He was rescued by fellow crew members and rushed to the port hospital in Paradip. Later, he was shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar for further treatment.
Chief medical officer of the Port Hospital Bibhuti Bhusan Das said the condition of the crew member is stable.
“He has sustained injury on his hand, and our ambulance facilitated his transfer to another hospital on Sunday morning.”
While local authorities including the police refused to share any detail of the incident, superintendent of the Customs department S Samal was not available for comment.
The detained cargo vessel is currently anchored at the PICT berth of the port. Though around one and a half months have passed since the vessel and its crew members were detained, investigation into the cocaine seizure case has made little progress with no arrests being made so far.