When police in Kerala claimed on Sunday that they had the captain of the immobilised Italian ship Enrica Lexie with them, they were taking the Indian media for a ride, Deccan Chronicle can reveal.
The fact is, captain Umberto Vitiello is yet to exit his ship.
It was the central zone IG K. Padmakumar who first claimed that that the two marines and their captain were outside the ship, 'talking to the police'.
“The reports about the captain being brought to land are absolutely wrong. He is still on board. The media have mistaken the Italian attaché for captain. Umberto Vitiello has nothing to do with the case and he need not be brought to the ground here,” said V.J. Mathew, the lawyer fighting Enrica Lexie's case.
The police had said on Sunday that though the captain had no penal liability, he had civil liabilities and was brought to the land for further examination.