Iranian dhow case: Police to hand over all documents to NIA

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police will hand over all documents on the recent interception of an Iranian dhow off Kerala waters to the National Investigation Agency in day or two, a top police official said today.

“NIA has registered an FIR. On Monday or Tuesday we will hand over the documents connected (to the case),” Thiruvananthapuram Police Commissioner H Venkatesh said.

NIA officials had met him yesterday, he said. Kerala Police had conducted preliminary investigation in the case.

The 12-member crew of the boat ‘Barooki’, which was intercepted off Alappuzha waters, had been arrested by Kerala Police.

Venkatesh said as per the preliminary investigation, all the crew members were believed to be Iranians. “We have said their citizenship has to be thoroughly examined,” he said.

NIA had filed an FIR in a Kochi court on Saturday.

A satellite communication set and a Pakistani identity card were found in the dhow. A joint interrogation of the crew by various agencies, including RAW, had been conducted.

The crew had left from Kalat in Iran on May 25.

The dhow was intercepted by Coast Guard and the state police following intelligence inputs regarding the boat off Alappuzha and it was brought to Vizhinjam on July 5.