VASCO: Two dacoit gangs teamed up and virtually took over a private abandoned oil tanker Pratibha Bheema on the high seas off Goa , lived on it for over two days without anyone noticing them, and looted crude oil worth over 2 crore in the international market and metal scrap.

But their honeymoon bonding came to an end after the Coast Guard along with Goa coastal police swooped in on a chopper and caught them red handed on Friday.

In the joint operation, 16 men of the two gangs were captured and later arrested by Goa police.

The gang which was having a free for all on the vessel stranded six miles off Aguada Bay were noticed by Captain of Ports at Panaji and reported to Coast Guard and coastal police.

The tip-off that there were people moving around on the deck of the massive ship initially sparked a terrorism scare. The double-hulled Pratibha Bheema is reportedly carrying around 400 tonnes of crude oil, with a market value of over 2 crore.

It has been stranded in Goan waters since 2012, after the shipping company went bankrupt.

The thieves were first spotted by deputy Captain of Ports Octavio Rodrigues, who had embarked the tanker for a routine inspection at around 8am on Friday. "We were surprised to see 10 to 12 men on the ship, and on seeing us, they hid themselves below the deck, which was pitch dark," he said.

"A Coast Guard ship with two officers and 18 armed men was immediately diverted to the spot. By then, the thieves had disappeared into the dark bowels of the ship, and we did not know if they had firearms or knives; if they were terrorists or pirates. Also, we were reluctant to open fire and risk blowing up the oil tanker," explained DIG of Coast Guard Manoj Baadkar . He added that the ship's deck alone was the size of three football fields, with plenty of hiding places.

"Working with a coastal police team headed by PSI Terrence Vaz, we decided to take the risk and go below the deck using torches to flush out the thieves. They were hiding in the engine room, in the refrigerator compartment, in the dark cabins and alleyways. Turns out they were unarmed, and did not put up a fight," he added.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the men had paddled to the ship in hired dinghies two nights ago. "They had brought rations with them and were cooking on a stove, oblivious to the danger of lighting an open fire on an oil tanker. We even spotted a live chicken scampering around," said a Captain of Ports Official. The men, all unkempt, stone-faced and covered in grime, were later brought by Coast Guard patrol vessel to Mormugao Port Trust and handed over to police.

"They were two gangs-7 men from Chicalim who named their 'boss' as one Rajesh Pujari, and 9 others from Chicalim who said they were working for one Manuel Dias. They come across as hardened criminals, who smuggle oil and diesel for a living. Most of them admitted to having been on board Pratibha Bheema to steal oil before," said Baadkar.

