3 Indians face death penalty for smuggling drugs into Indonesia

Accused of drug trafficking aboard a Singapore-flagged vessel, three Indians, who have been detained in Indonesia since July 2024, face death penalty, a media report said on Friday.

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Raju Muthukumaran (38), Selvadurai Dinakaran (34) and Govindhasamy Vimalkandhan (45), who have been working in the shipping industry in Singapore, were arrested for allegedly smuggling 106 kg of crystal meth aboard the Legend Aquarius cargo vessel. All of them hail from Tamil Nadu.

Acting on a tip-off, Indonesian authorities intercepted the vessel in the Pongkar waters of Karimun district, an hour from Singapore by ferry.

The trio faced a major setback on March 14 when the vessel captain, who was ordered to testify in person, failed to appear in court, reported Singapore’s Friday weekly Tabla.

However, he only appeared briefly via Zoom, preventing cross-examination by the defence. The defence team insists that the captain’s testimony is crucial to establishing their clients’ innocence.