Italian Navymen to be arrested on Sunday

KOCHI: In a dramatic development late on Saturday, the police announced that the two Italian Navymen, suspected to have fired upon and killed two fishermen, will be brought to the mainland and arrested before 8 am on Sunday.Making the first concrete move towards bringing the culprits to book, Kochi City Police Commissioner M R Ajith Kumar said that the police had taken over the control of the vessel.“The master (captain) of the vessel has agreed to cooperate with the police. The vessel is in the custody of the police and the two suspected navymen will be brought to the mainland and arrested before 8 am on Sunday,” Ajith Kumar said.The Commissioner said that the Italian authorities had endorsed the demands of the Kerala police, after the Union Government communicated the matter to their Italian counterparts.“Right from the start, the police were of the stand that the culprit should be booked. The state government had raised the issue before the Union Government. “The Union Government then communicated the matter to the Italian authorities and our demand has been endorsed,” he said.The Commissioner issued an ultimatum to the captain of the vessel to hand over the two Italian Navymen for legal procedures or risk arrest. “The crew members will be interrogated and their statements recorded. We have also asked the master to come to the mainland, if needed,” he said.