Navy, CG hand over N Korean ship crew to cops

After a 48-hour probe into the North Korean cargo ship's illegal presence in Indian waters, the Navy and the Coast Guard handed over the 39-member crew to the local police and intelligence agencies.

After a 48-hour probe into the North Korean cargo ship's illegal presence in Indian waters, the Navy and the Coast Guard on Monday handed over the 39-member crew to the local police and intelligence agencies.

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Navy and Coast Guard sources said here that their investigation did not lead them to any clandestine activities on the part of the crew members and that they had handed over the men to the local police and intelligence agencies for further action.

However, Indian authorities were yet to decide when the cargo vessel, carrying 16,000 tonnes of sugar, would be allowed to set sail again to its destination in Iraq.

The ship, MV San, was found anchored about 65 nautical miles south of Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar, last Wednesday and the Navy and Coast Guard ships carried out an operation, including firing of a round, to force the vessel to accompany the enforcement agencies to the port.

The vessel was on its way to a port in Iraq and had set sail from a Thai port on July 27. The ship's captain told Indian authorities that the vessel had a mechanical fault, due to which it had to enter Indian waters.