Maha ATS to investigate yacht at Raigad coast with weapons on board

Mumbai:  The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) will investigate the yacht which was found to have drifted to the Raigad coast near Mumbai with AK-47 rifles on board on Thursday, a top police official said here.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said earlier in the day that on the face of it there was no terror link as the yacht “Lady Han” was abandoned by its Australian owner Hana Lordorgan and her husband amid inclement weather near Muscat on June 26 while on their way to Europe.

“We are in the process of registering a First Information Report (FIR) under the Arms Act and will conduct further investigations,” said ATS Chief Vineet Agarwal. Police recovered some documents from the yacht and the ATS is investigating that too, he added.

Agrawal and his team rushed to Raigad after three AK-47 rifles and live rounds were found on the 16-meter-long yacht which was spotted at Harihareshwar. Local fishermen alerted the police about it, said Sanjay Mohite, Inspector General of Police, Konkan Range. This is the third incident of a vessel drifting to the Konkan coast in the recent past, said another official. Earlier a boat from Gujarat had ended up on the Murud coast while another boat had run aground at Kasa, he said.

An inflatable raft or lifeboat, which was found at Bharadkhol, was part of the yacht’s accessories, he said.