NT NETWORK
VASCO
The Vasco police have arrested two Moroccan nationals on Thursday for entering India without any valid documentations like passport and visa, thereby contravening the provisions of section 3 (2) (a) and 6 (a) of Passport Entry into India Rule 1950, section 7 (i) (iii) Foreigners Order 1948 and section 14 of Foreigner Act 1946.
The police on Friday produced the accused before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Vasco and obtained 5-days police custody.
As per the information provided by the Mormugao police inspector Kapil Nayak and police sub-inspector Nehanda Tavares attached to the Vasco police station, the police sub-inspector Melito Fernandes attached to the Mormugao police station has lodged a complaint on behalf of the state, stating that the Mormugao police station received information from the senior executive of J M Baxi and Company, Vasco, Govind Pednekar, informing about two stowaways namely Jaouad Elhili (29) and Abdelkabir Benbassidi (19), Moroccan nationals missing from the MT Greenwich Park, which was anchored at berth no 11 of Mormugao Port Trust (MPT), requesting the police to maintain watch over the missing stowaways.
As per highly placed sources, the two stowaways had boarded the vessel in Egypt some 15-days back, but failed to disembark at the port. Incidentally, they were noticed by the crew after four days when the vessel was on voyage to Goa to deliver the consignment at the MPT berth.
The two stowaways were warned by the crew not to land in Goa and hence they were confined to a room onboard the vessel. Despite warnings issued by the captain of the vessel, duo managed to escape from the vessel and landed at berth no 11 of MPT late Wednesday night.
It was disclosed that the two stowaways, who managed to come out of the MPT premises, were found roaming in the town. They spent the whole night in town.
Following the information from the senior executive of J M Baxi and Company on Thursday morning, the Mormugao police were alerted.
The police swung into action and nabbed the stowaways while they were loitering in the vicinity of the Goa Shipyard Ltd.
“There was a security lapse on part of the security agencies including Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), manning the MPT premises,”informed a senior police official on a condition of anonymity.
“It was the duty of the security agencies to intercept the stowaways when they had landed at berth no 11 of MPT late Wednesday night,” said the senior police official and further maintained that the security agencies should have arrested the stowaways while disembarking from the vessel.
The Mormugao police, who have apprehended the accused while loitering in the vicinity of GSL, asked them to produce the documentations, but they failed to produce any.
The duo are now cooling their heels in the Vasco police station lock up after they were remanded to 5-days police custody.
The police sub-inspector Tavares is further investigating the case, under the supervision of Vasco PI Sagar Ekoskar and deputy superintendent of police Vasco Sucheta Dessai.
