Mysterious armed boat lands on Maha beach; owners Australians
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Raigad/Maharashtra: After a mysterious unmanned speedboat, loaded with arms and ammunitions, landed in Harihareshwar Beach in Raigad, the state government cleared on Thursday that it belonged to an Australian couple, IANS.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the boat 'Ladyhaan', owned by Australian woman Hannah Laundergun and her husband James Horbert, was sailing from Oman to Europe.
On the June 26 morning, the boat suffered engine failure, and the crew summoned help. They were rescued by a Korean warship but forced not to tow the boat due to rough seas. While the crew was dropped at Oman, the boat remained astray in waters for nearly seven weeks before it landed up Harihareshwar Beach on Thursday.
According to minister Fadnavis, Raigad Police have recovered 3 AK-47 guns and some ammunition from the boat.
"The issue is being probed by the Raigad Police and Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad, and in view of past incidents, the police are put on high alert," said Fadnavis.
Central agencies, including the Indian Coast Guard, have been informed about the boat turning up at the Maharashtran beach, and deeper probes are underway, IANS reports.
The boat was first detected by some local fisherfolk at Harihareshwar Beach, around 200 km south of Mumbai, alerting state security forces.