Kochi: It has come to light that the two Italian marines involved in the Enrica Lexie case had asked the Captain of the ship to depose that the fishermen carried weapons on the fateful day.
According to sources, the two marines, Chief master sergeant Massimiliano Latorre and sergeant Salvatore Girone, the first and second accused in the killing of two fishermen, were trying to sabotage the case by forcing their captain to give false statements to the police.
NIA found out this while questioning Umberto Vittelli who was the Captain of the vessel.
Sources revealed that the marines asked the captain to depose that the six fishermen on board the St Antony fishing boat were carrying weapons. The captain later succumbed to the pressure and sent an email to the International Maritime Security (IMS) claiming that the marines retaliated to the fishermen suspecting them to be pirates. However the investigation by both the state police and NIA has found that none of the fishermen were armed.
The two marines fired at the fishing boat and killed two fishermen in 2012.
