Four men, suspected to be involved in the theft of copper, were found dead aboard an unmanned merchant tanker that had run aground almost 1m from Manori beach
The three in police custody allegedly stole brass valves and copper worth Rs 40,000 from the vessel while their associates perished. He and the other survivors, Pratik Patil and Shiven Shundul, were arrested and produced before a magistrate court on Thursday and remanded in police custody till Oct 6.
Police said the three accused appear to have a prior criminal history. The bodies were taken to Colaba and then sent to JJ Hospital for a postmortem examinations,” said a police officer. Police suspect that a gas leak while the four were cutting a pipe in the engine room, likely to steal the copper from it, led to the explosion. Evidence is being gathered to verify this. “The Navy brought a helicopter and two boats. They used protective gear and checked the vessel for gas leak.
Police suspect that the gang had carried out a reconnaissance and committed thefts on the stranded vessel at least twice earlier. Mumbai: Three men were arrested by Gorai police on Thursday for copper theft on an unmanned merchant tanker at Manori, where an explosion killed four of their associates last Sunday. The deaths came to light only on Monday when one of their surviving associates, Vijay Sanjiva, approached Gorai police and told them about the explosion. Police said the bodies were recovered with the Navy’s assistance on Wednesday.