Owner asked us to flee: ship captain

The captain of the merchant vessel MV Dynamic Striker, which had tried to flee with cargo worth Rs 40 crores on Monday from outer anchorage of Mumbai, told the Yellow Gate police that he was following the instructions of the owner of the ship.

The captain of the merchant vessel MV Dynamic Striker, which had tried to flee with cargo worth Rs 40 crores on Monday from outer anchorage of Mumbai, told the Yellow Gate police that he was following the instructions of the owner of the ship.

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The captain, Ivanychev Sergiy, and three crewmembers, who are said to be radio officers of the vessel and communication and navigation assistants, were arrested on Thursday and remanded to police custody for seven days.

Sergiy has confessed to the police that he was instructed to leave the city. “Being captain of the ship, Sergiy was in charge and the sole decision maker. His confession that he had fled was enough for us to arrest him,” said Chandrakant Naik, senior inspector, Yellow Gate police station.

When asked whether the owner of the vessel would be summoned for questioning, Naik said: “We will call them for questioning, but since they are foreigners it will take time.”

The arrested persons have been booked for criminal breach of trust, deterring public servant from discharging his duties, act endangering life or personal safety of others and several other sections of the Indian Penal Code. “We will now record the statements of the other three crew members and ascertain their role,” said Naik.

Meanwhile the police, in its remand application filed before the court to take the custody of the accused, said they wanted to verify the documents pertaining to the ship and the accused. The police want to check whether the ship had violated any rules while entering the Indian waters.