With still no firm word yesterday on the fate of a three-man fishing crew that has not been heard from since venturing out to sea on January 23, a search boat was yesterday deployed by the company with which the men worked.

Khobindi Sanichara, mother of the captain of the boat, Mahadeo Ramdeo last evening told Stabroek News that the family had had no further word other than that a boat had been deployed by the company that operated the fishing vessel, Pritipaul Singh Investments (PSI).

The mother of Ramnarine Jagmohan said that she, too, had no further word on the fate of the vessel and crew-members.

Ramdeo of Coldingen Housing Scheme, Jagmohan of Craig Public Road and another man, whose identity is still unknown, were the crewmembers of the missing vessel, which relatives said was a “red-snapper boat”.

Meanwhile, Stabroek News could not elicit a comment from PSI about the situation yesterday. When this newspaper contacted the personnel manager at the company, he said that given the “situation in the country” he could not be sure who was speaking to and would not give out any information on the phone. The reporter suggested that it would be not be a problem to visit him at the office but he said that he would be leaving to go to the hospital and would return later in the afternoon and said that this reporter should visit then. When this newspaper called the company again at the prescribed time, the employee, who answered the telephone, said that the manager had left and would not be returning.

Sanichara said that a representative from the Ministry of Agriculture had contacted the family and said that they were “following up the story”. The emotional woman said that she asked them about an aerial search and was told that they have to talk about it with the minister. She said that the representative assured her that “when the time to act, they will act”. She said that the family also contacted PSI but “he seh is the same old thing