Kerala police arrest Italian naval guards

After five days of high drama both on land and at sea, Kerala police on Sunday arrested two security men of the Italian oil tanker Enrica Lexie who are alleged to have opened fire at a fishing boat off Alappuzha coast on Wednesday night, killing two men on board.




A team headed by Kochi city commissioner M.R. Ajith Kumar arrested Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone for murder from the ship anchored at Kochi.



The two men taken into custody are Italian naval guards. They were arrested in the presence of Southern Kerala Inspector General of Police Padmakumar, Kollam City Police Commissioner Sam Christy Danial, Italian Consul General in Mumbai Gian Paolo Cutillo and Italian Defence Attache Franco Favre.



A senior police officer said the arrested Italians were taken to the CISF guesthouse in Kochi for further interrogation.






After completing the formalities of the arrest, they would be handed over to Kollam police under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred and who have registered a case of murder against the crew members following the incident.



The senior police officer added they would have to face trial under Indian criminal law and Italy could raise in court whatever objections it had to their being booked for murder.



Kerala police had conveyed to the union ministries of Home and External Affairs that the fishermen were shot dead in Indian territorial waters and that action needed to be taken against the culprits accordingly.



This was announced on Saturday by Jacob Punoose, Director General of Kerala Police.