The three-day probe into m.v. Prabhu Daya, which was suspected to be involved in a mid-sea collision with a fishing trawler off the Kerala coast on March 1, came to an end on Thursday; the Kerala police have taken one crew member into custody in connection with the case.
According to the investigators, the probe team has collated information from the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) and other electronic devices. The downloaded data from the VDR has been taken to the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) office. It will take at least a couple of days to secure the relevant portion from the VDR to match it with other pieces of information collected from different sources.
“We have completed the probe. The recovered material such as a portion of fishing net, a strand of rope and paint marks on the ship would be sent to the forensic department. The examination would be carried out here or in Kerala. It is up to MMD to decide the location. The analysis of the VDR would be done here, while the final draft of the report would be prepared in Kochi. Later, it would be sent to the Directorate-General of Shipping,” an investigating officer said.
After the Kerala police sought the help of the Chennai police, an officer in the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police was assigned to assist them in the investigation, police sources said.
The Kerala police team went to the vessel and took into custody a crew member who was with the Second Officer of the vessel Prasobh Sugathan at the time of the midnight mid-sea collision, under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
Statement given
While the crew (member) told the probe team that he was not aware of the incident, he is said to have given a statement to the Kerala police. He is being taken to Kochi for further investigation. The police also seized Mr. Prasobh's mobile phone and some other personal effects.
