Kasaragod: Five employees onboard SG Pegasus, a Panama-flagged vessel, including a Kasaragod native, have been released from custody by Indonesian Navy after the vessel entered its territorial waters seven months ago. Kalandar Koppalam, who hails from Kumbala Arikkad. and four others will reach Mumbai on Monday.
Kalandar, Roshan Kalashi from Gujarat, Praveen Chari from Goa, Aider Mondal from Kolkata, and Ramender from Mumbai were released by an Indonesian court the other day. The vessel carrying chemicals to Singapore had entered and anchored in Indonesian waters without permission after a technical snag.
22 Indians were on board SG Pegasus, including another Malayali, Uppala native Moosakunhi Parakkatt.
Minister of State V Muralidharan had intervened in the issue following a Manorama report and helped release Moosakunhi and 12 others last month.
Indonesian Navy detained Pegasus in February 2019 for illegally entering its territorial waters. Pegasus is one of the three vessels – Afra Oak and Win Win being the other two – which were seized by the Indonesian Navy.
