Paradip: In a sudden development in the seizure of Rs 220-crore cocaine from a cargo ship at Paradip port in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, a detained crew member allegedly attempted suicide and jumped into the sea on Sunday.
As per preliminary reports, the crew member, stated to be the third engineer of the ship, jumped into the sea after allegedly slitting his hand. He was rescued and admitted to the Paradip Port Authority Hospital. He was later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for advanced treatment.
Sources said that the crew member sustained critical injury on his right hand while making the sudden move. It is suspected that he might have the move due to mental pressure as their team has been confined inside the ship for around one and half months now.
However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the crew member attempted suicide or was trying to escape.
No comments could be obtained from the police and Customs Department officials in this regard.
As per the agent of the ship, the crew member got injured while doing the repair work of the ship.
The ship is currently anchored at the anchorage, some four to five km from the port under the supervision of the Customs department. All 21 Vietnamese crew members have been detained on the ship.
Customs department and NCB officials are currently investing into the circumstances in which the cocaine found its way onto the ship, apart from looking into the people who are involved in it.
It may be noted here that the Customs department had seized about 22 kg of cocaine worth approximately Rs 220 crore from ‘MV Debi’ ship docked at Paradip Port in December last year. Based on an input from a crane operator who spotted suspicious packets in the ship, the search was conducted on the intervening night of Nov 30 and Dec 1, 2023. The ship had arrived from Gresik port in Indonesia and was about to depart to Denmark.
