A Pakistani fishing boat was blown up by its crew after the Indian Coast Guard intercepted it off the coast of Porbandar on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1.
An Indian Coast Guard (ICG) helicopter and ship take part in an exercise off the coast of Porbandar. (AFP PHOTO)
The suspicious behaviour of the boat’s crew brought back memories of the 26/11 terror attack six years ago. Then, 10 gunmen had travelled from Karachi in a boat, hijacked an Indian fishing vessel and steered it to Mumbai to go on a three-day rampage during which they killed 166 people.
This fishing boat too was from Karachi, according to an Indian government statement.
Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft launched an intelligence-based operation to intercept the suspicious fishing boat in the Arabian Sea near the Indo-Pak maritime boundary.
According to intelligence inputs on December 31, the fishing boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi was planning some illicit transaction in Arabian Sea.
Coast Guard 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 it intercepted the unlit boat around midnight in a position 365km west-southwest of Porbandar.
The Coast Guard ship warned the fishing boat to stop for investigation of the crew and cargo. The boat, however, picked up speed. The crew, apparently, was trying to escape from the Indian side of the maritime boundary.
The hot pursuit continued for nearly one hour and the Coast Guard ship managed to stop the fishing boat after firing warning shots. Four persons were seen on the boat. They disregarded all warnings by the Coast Guard ship to stop and cooperate with investigation.
Soon thereafter, the crew hid themselves in below deck compartment and set the boat on fire, which resulted in an explosion and a major fire on the boat.
Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and persons on board could not be saved or recovered.
The boat burnt and sank in the same position, in early hours of January 1. Coast Guard ships and aircraft are continuing operations in the area to search for possible survivors.
Coast Guard and other security agencies are maintaining high vigil in maritime and coastal areas since last couple of months due to several inputs on threat from the sea.
Three days before the sixth anniversary of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said a zero-tolerance policy on errors was required to avoid such incidents in the future and guarantee India’s coastal security.
Parrikar had added that the Centre would ensure “99.99%” protection against 26/11-type incidents by timely detection. “How do you pull the needle out of the haystack? Zero tolerance to error is the most important in this project.”
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