4 Copper Thieves Die In Explosion Onboard Unmanned Tanker That Ran Aground Off Manori

Four thieves lost their lives while trying to steal copper pipes from an unmanned tanker that had run aground off Manori in Mumbai, police revealed.

MT Al Jafzia, a Nicaragua-flagged chemical and oil products tanker, had remained at the same place for 4 months, with the grounding attributed to poor weather conditions in the area.

Investigation into the incident disclosed that the men were part of a local gang who had been eyeing the vessel for more than a month while carefully planning the theft.

Four men were from Colaba and the other three from Vasai, the police said in a statement. Two days ago, they reached the tanker through a speedboat. Apart from the one steering it, 7 men boarded the vessel.

The men, unaware of the dangers of touching risky equipment on a ship, went to the interior compartments with machinery. They began to cut a pipeline with a cutter near the engine room when a sudden explosion startled them. It was a gas leak, and inhaling the toxic fumes suffocated and killed four of them almost instantly.

According to the police, the men had unknowingly cut the pipe connecting to the air conditioning system. One of the men, identified as the 40-year-old Vijaya Premnath Sanjiva, received facial injuries and lost his senses for a while.

Later, two of his associates helped him leave the ship in a hurry, and both the culprits are currently absconding. The identities of the four men who died and the other two who fled are being ascertained by the police.

Officials came to know of the incident on Monday, when Sanjiva went to a police station and reported that four of his associates had not returned home, adding that they were stranded on the ship. He also revealed to the officials their plan to steal copper pipes from the vessel.

The police contacted the navy to launch a rescue operation immediately. A special team entered the vessel via helicopter only to find four dead bodies, which were taken to a nearby hospital for examination.

The four deceased were less than 30 years old, the authorities said. Police also discovered that the gang the men were part of had tried to raid the tanker twice before this fatal attempt.

A case has been filed against the shipowner, and police are also looking into the allegations that the ship was previously a part of unlawful oil transfers.