Firearms of Italian marines will be seized, says DGP

Friday, February 24, 2012: Director-General of Police (DGP) Jacob Punnoose today opined that the Kerala police would take into custody the weapons used by the Italian marines to shoot dead the two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast on February 15.
Addressing the mediapersons here on Friday, Punnouse added that the police would conduct a ballistic examination of the weapons on board merchant vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’. Meanwhile the Kochi Police has postponed its search of the weapons on board merchant vessel ‘Enrica Lexie’ till Saturday.
A Court in Kollam, which had permitted the police to seize the arms allegedly used in the firing by Naval guards at the fishermen, on Thursday accepted the Italians’ plea seeking presence of their representatives during the ballistic examination.
The Italians have been maintaining that they opened fire assuming the fishermen onboard the boat to be pirates.