US-sanctioned Iran-linked oil tanker stuck at Pakistan maritime borders for 8 days: FIR | India News

New Delhi/Mumbai: One of three Iran-linked oil tankers sanctioned by US seized indian coast guard According to an FIR registered in Mumbai, on February 6, the Pakistan Coast Guard (ICG) stayed within Pakistan’s maritime borders for several days and its tracking system was switched off.The ICG seized three ships – Asphalt Star, Stellar Ruby and Al Jafzia – about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai for investigation and lodged a police complaint with the Yellow Gate police station on February 15 charging nine people, including the owners of the three ships, with allegedly engaging in illegal activities related to Iran and smuggling oil. A total of 55 crew members were on board all three seized vessels.Based on a complaint by ICG Commander Aniruddha Dharampal Dabash (40), Mumbai Police filed an FIR and arrested the captain and a crew member of MT Asphalt Star for their alleged involvement in oil smuggling and counterfeiting. TOI has a copy of the FIR.On the issue of the ship’s presence in Pakistani waters, the FIR said: “Coast Guard Deputy Commander P Siddharth Ratnam examined the electronic chart display and information system data of MT Asphalt Star. It was observed that the ship entered Pakistan’s Maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between January 20 and January 28.”“On January 28, at approximately 11 o’clock, the ship shut down the Automatic Identification System (AIS), Very High Frequency (VHF) and all sensors, thereby concealing its identity and conducting suspicious activities. Upon further enquiry, the captain stated that the ship’s Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) system had ceased operation,” it said. All three ships used AIS spoofing and false identity data to evade detection.Indian national Jogendar Singh Brar, currently residing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is alleged to be the owner of the vessels and was named as one of the accused in the FIR.The ICG expert boarding team determined the criminal’s modus operandi through continuous searches and verification of electronic data and verification documents on the suspected ship, as well as interrogation of crew members.“We have arrested Shyam Bahadur Chauhan and one other person in this case. They have been produced in court and are in police custody till February 23,” a police officer said. Chauhan is the master of MT Asphalt Star. In the UAE, Brar claimed that his ships were providing necessary supplies to other distressed ships far away from the Indian coast and that the ships were not engaged in any illegal activities, local media reported.The FIR stated that MT Asphalt Star was found to have illegally transferred 30 tons of heavy fuel oil to MT AL Jafiza in the Indian Ocean Exclusive Economic Zone through ship-to-ship operations without notifying any Indian government authority. It was also found to have illegally diverted 5,473 tonnes of bitumen used for road construction to MT Stellar Ruby.