MSV Yusufi seizure: Yellowgate police await forensic report
The Yellowgate police, investigating the MSV Yusufi smuggling case, are awaiting the forensic analysis report to ascertain if any narcotic substance was being smuggled into the country using the cigarettes seized from the boat. Saurabh M Joshi reports.
The Yellowgate police, investigating the MSV Yusufi smuggling case, are awaiting the forensic analysis report to ascertain if any narcotic substance was being smuggled into the country using the cigarettes seized from the boat.
The police had seized 436 crates of imported cigarettes (approximately worth Rs 2 crore) from the dhow, which was raided by Coast Guards in the wee hours of April 3. A sample from the seized cigarettes has been sent to the forensic sciences laboratory.
The police have also sent a letter to Thuraya Telecommunications, seeking details of the satellite phone allegedly used by the crew on the dhow. Gani Adam Charwadawla alias Usman Ghanchhi, who was arrested in the case late on Friday, has claimed that the consignment did not belong to him.
"The documents obtained from the dhow sailors state Ghanchhi as the receiver with the address of a spot near Minara Masjid. Ghancchi had apparently fled from the house after the dhow was raided. The details are enough to prove that his claims are baseless," said an officer.
Those arrested from the dhow are Ahmed Adam Paleza, 45, Iqbal Hasan Umi, 41, Yakub Abubakar Thakra, 43, Abdul Razzaq Usman Mandwani, 32, and Yunus Asam Bolim, 30. The dhow is registered in the name of Hasan Umi (Iqbal's father). The police said that Iqbal told them that he was operating the satellite phone.
"Since Iqbal also said that he disposed of the communication handset in the sea, we have written a letter to the company asking for the details," said the officer.
