Killer ship captain in court

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Gordon Charles Pereira, 49, the captain of the merchant vessel Prabhu Daya that collided with a fishing boat Don-I off Alappuzha coast killing five fishermen was produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate in Chennai on Tuesday.

The Kerala police had arrested the captain on Monday but he could not be brought to shore as the ship needed a master. “Today, the first officer assumed charge as captain and we have brought Pereira to shore.

Apart from the hit-and-run incident, where he is the third accused, we have also charged him under Sector 307 IPC (attempt to murder),” Ernakulam range IG K. Padmakumar told Deccan Chronicle.

“Pereira, who hails from Visakhapatnam, would be taken to Alappuzha by road. We will poduce him before the magistrate there and then continue our investigations,” he said.

“The attempt to murder case was put on him following a complaint by the father of the ship’s second officer Prasobh, K.E. Sugathan, who has said that his son did not try to commit suicide but was thrown off the ship,” said Padmakumar.

The police official noted that Prasobh, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Trincomalee after the Sri Lankan Navy rescued him, would also be taken to Kerala once he is discharged from hospital.
Tolani Shipping (Singapore) Pte Ltd, however, noted that the claim that Prasobh was thrown overboard after the vessel was diverted to Chennai was surprising.

“This runs completely contrary to the signed sworn statement that he gave to the Sri Lankan police following his rescue and landing at Trinconmalee. We find it strange that no mention of this very serious allegation was made in the official statement but emerged later in statements given to the media,” a statement from Tolani Shipping said.

“Regardless, we take such allegations seriously and will conduct a full internal inquiry,” said the statement.

Don’t release ship, kerala cops urge hc

The Kerala police has approached the Madras HC not to permit the Singapore-flagged merchant vessel Prabhu Daya,which was allegedly involed in a collision with a fishing vessel off Alappuzha coast in which five fishermen were killed and is now anchored off Chennai port, to sail away till they complete their investigation.

K. Mahesh Kumar DSP, Alappuzha, also sought to be impleaded as a respondent in the petition filed by Jacob Antony, owner of the fishing vessel MFV DON No.1. Justice K.B.K. Vasuki adjourned by two weeks the hearing on the petition.

Kumar submitted that he was the head of the special team that has been constituted for investigating the crimes relating to the collision with the fishing trawler and the assault and attempted murder of Prasobh Sugadhan.