Mumbai: In a major security breach, a man tricked a junior Indian Navy sailor who was on sentry duty at Navy Nagar – the Navy’s residential complex in Mumbai – and made off with his service rifle and live ammunition.
A Board of Inquiry has been set up and a search launched by the Navy and Mumbai Police for the missing weapon and ammunition. Other agencies are also probing the matter.
The sailor was on guard duty on Saturday night when the man, in a naval uniform, approached him and said that he had been sent to relieve him. The junior sailor told officials later that he hesitated initially, but the man was persuasive.
The sailor finally handed over his rifle and ammunition to the man and went to the security office to check. There he was told that nobody had been sent to relieve him. When he rushed back to his post, the man was nowhere to be found. The rifle and ammunition were also gone.
“This clearly points to lack of discipline. The sailor should never have left his post, even if he had been threatened with punishment. I sincerely hope that he is punished. It also reveals that the perpetrator/s had planned the operation very carefully. The only saving grace is that the miscreant did not use the weapon against residents. However, he is still at large and may use it against innocents,” a senior official said.
“A Board of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the circumstances leading to the incident. The case is also under investigation by other Government agencies, and the Indian Navy is extending all necessary assistance to this effort,” the Navy said in an official statement.
The security breach has resulted in severe panic in the area. The complex is home to some of the senior officers of the Western Naval Command with access to information that is highly classified in nature. Such officers and their families are considered targets of foreign intelligence operatives.
Authorities said they are investigating how the accused managed to enter the premises. They will inquire if the lapses in identification procedures contributed to the incident.
