After 13 months in Greek jail, five Indians to return on Sunday
Narayan Namboodiri | TNN | Mar 23, 2019, 07:29 IST
Representative imageMUMBAI: Five Indian crew members of a cargo vessel will arrive in Mumbai on Sunday after spending 13 months in a Greece jail. They five were on board merchant cargo vessel ‘MV Andromeda’ that set sail from Cyprus to Libya in December 2017. The ship anchored in Turkey for repair and then proceeded to its destination. However, in January 2018, when it reached Greece, authorities detained the ship for carrying ‘explosive material’.
All eight crew members, including two Ukrainians, five Indians and an Albanian, were arrested and sent to Korydallos Prison Complex.
The Indian crew include Satish Patil (28), Bhupinder Singh (21), Gagan Deep (22), Rohtash Kumar (24) and Jaideep Thakur (32). After landing in Mumbai, they will meet director general of shipping, Amitabh Kumar, to undergo debriefing and a medical examination.
A Greek court last week set the crew free. India’s oldest union of merchant navy officers, the Mumbai-based Maritime Union of India (MUI), had pursued their release. They have also sponsored air tickets of the crew members.
“A fortnight ago, the court in Greece ruled the ‘explosive material’ confiscated was in fact raw material for crackers, and not banned explosive material,” MUI general secretary Amar Singh Thakur said. Meanwhile, family members are relieved their wait will soon end.
“This was Satish’s first job after he completed his Diploma in Marine Engineering. After this incident, his parents will not hear of him stepping aboard a ship again,” his cousin Vishal told TOI over the phone from Kolhapur.
“My husband last spoke to me on January 10, 2018, saying the ship was being checked. After that, there were no calls. We later got to know they had been arrested,” said Preety Chib, wife of first engineer Thakur. “I am relieved the court has set them free,” she said.
All eight crew members, including two Ukrainians, five Indians and an Albanian, were arrested and sent to Korydallos Prison Complex.
The Indian crew include Satish Patil (28), Bhupinder Singh (21), Gagan Deep (22), Rohtash Kumar (24) and Jaideep Thakur (32). After landing in Mumbai, they will meet director general of shipping, Amitabh Kumar, to undergo debriefing and a medical examination.
A Greek court last week set the crew free. India’s oldest union of merchant navy officers, the Mumbai-based Maritime Union of India (MUI), had pursued their release. They have also sponsored air tickets of the crew members.
“A fortnight ago, the court in Greece ruled the ‘explosive material’ confiscated was in fact raw material for crackers, and not banned explosive material,” MUI general secretary Amar Singh Thakur said. Meanwhile, family members are relieved their wait will soon end.
“This was Satish’s first job after he completed his Diploma in Marine Engineering. After this incident, his parents will not hear of him stepping aboard a ship again,” his cousin Vishal told TOI over the phone from Kolhapur.
“My husband last spoke to me on January 10, 2018, saying the ship was being checked. After that, there were no calls. We later got to know they had been arrested,” said Preety Chib, wife of first engineer Thakur. “I am relieved the court has set them free,” she said.
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