Mumbai Crime: Coast Guard intercepts two fishing boats, 10 arrested

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Ten people were arrested by the Mumbai police after two fishing boats were intercepted by the Coast Guard in the sea waters. The arrested man were found to have foreign brand cigarettes, liquor bottles and US dollars with Rs 13 lakhs in their possession, Indian Express reported.

According to the police, the Coast Guard patrolling party found two boats suspiciously moving towards Gujarat. They was found to have been towing another boat for around 20 nautical miles off Mumbai coast. The Coast Guard then intercepted the boats, detained the men. When asked about the cash, liquors and cigarettes in their possession, they failed to answer after which they handed them over to the Yellow Gate police.

The police said that the men did not have licence for fishing and suspect that the men are a part of the smuggling cartel that deal with foreign liquor and cigarettes. They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).

Further investigation is underway to find out the business the men were involved in. However, terrorism angle has been ruled out from the case.