Coast Guard intercepts Pakistan boat off Gujarat

“Based on the input, Coast Guard’s Dornier aircraft undertook sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect fishing boat. Thereafter, the Coast Guard ship on patrol in the area was diverted and intercepted the unlit boat at midnight of December 31 at a position 365 km south-west of Porbandar,” the ministry stated.

When the Coast Guard warned the crew to stop for crew and cargo check, they tried to escape from the Indian side of the maritime boundary. The hot pursuit went on for about an hour before the Coast Guard ship brought it to a halt. Warning shots were also fired. Four people were sighted on the boat ignoring warnings by the Coast Guards to stop and cooperate with the investigation. The crew then



slipped into below deck compartment and set the boat on fire which triggered an explosion.

“Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and people on board could not be saved or recovered. The boat burnt and sank in the same position in the early hours of January 1,” the spokesperson added. Combing operations were on in the area to search for any possible survivor.Agencies reported that the rogue vessel was suspected to be carrying explosives. 

However, official sources did not confirm the report. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar complimented the Coast Guard and others who were part of the operation for “intercepting the rogue vessel off the coast of Gujarat in a timely and precise manner, thereby averting a possible danger”. The Coast Guard and other security agencies are maintaining high vigil in maritime and coastal areas since the last couple of months due to several inputs on threat from the sea. Terrorists involved in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai in 2008 also came through the sea from Karachi.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday also blamed Pakistan for trying to push infiltrators into India when enquired about increased infiltration through the Jammu & Kashmir border. Meanwhile, two Bangladeshis of a suspected terrorist outfit’s “sleeper cell” were picked up from Noida.