12 arrested for coal theft at city port

The Yellow Gate police on Sunday caught 12 men for allegedly stealing coal from a ship anchored in the outer anchorage of the Mumbai Port.

The Yellow Gate police on Sunday caught 12 men for allegedly stealing coal from a ship anchored in the outer anchorage of the Mumbai Port.

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While one trawler was apprehended, three others escaped as the police did not have speedboats.According to the police, the prime accused were identified as Sudhakar Naik (31) and Vijay Naik (30).

The duo and ten of their accomplices were caught after they received a call from the crew of the ship MV Seastar Rainbow on Sunday evening informing them that four trawlers had been plying around their ship in a suspicious manner.

“We stopped one trawler and seized around 1.5 tonnes of coal, which is valued at Rs30,000,” said Tanaji Ghadge, deputy commissioner of police (Port Zone).

Investigations revealed that the accused intended selling it in the black market. The three trawlers that the police could not stop, escaped with around 15 tonnes of coal.