MUMBAI: In a crackdown on thefts at Oil and Natural Gas (ONGC) offshore platforms, police have seized 37 fishing boats, identified about 30 accused, and initiated action against fishermen for allegedly stealing equipment worth lakhs of rupees from the platforms in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai’s coast.Cops seize 37 boats in crackdown on thefts at ONGC offshore oil rigsPolice said more than 800 to 1,000 batteries, along with solar panels, scrap iron, fuel and cables, were stolen over the past two years from the offshore platforms, with each theft estimated to cause losses of ₹3-4 lakh or more.Investigators allege that fishing boats entered restricted zones around the offshore platforms under the pretext of fishing.“In our interrogations and arrest we had found that there were fishing boats which used to enter the prohibited area and the platforms. In the daytime on the pretext of fishing they used to survey the platforms and in the night when the platforms were unmanned, thefts were carried out,” said DCP Vijaykant Sagar of Port Zone.Police said a breakthrough came in March when sailors aboard a Pen-based trawler, Kaushalyacha Ram Shakti, were arrested. The trawler’s owner, Chandrakant Patil, 53, was also arrested.Investigators found that stolen equipment was concealed beneath fish catches to evade detection by Coast Guard, Navy and police patrols. The material was allegedly offloaded at Vashi Creek, Mora Jetty and Karanja Jetty before being sold to scrap dealers in Raigad district.“We have registered cases under sections 303 (theft), 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 223 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita and 120 (willful trespass) of the Mumbai Police Act,” said Sagar.Police have warned scrap dealers, informed local authorities and sought cancellation of licences of boats found involved in the thefts. Meetings have also been held with boat owners, sailors and fishing community leaders to prevent future incursions into prohibited zones around ONGC platforms.