Coast Guard beefs up patrolling along Gujarat coast

Deploys more Dornier aircraft and ships for patrolling, launches search to recover bodies of crew members and wreckage of suspect vessel

Stepping up security across the 1,600-km long Gujarat coastline, Indian Coast Guard (ICG) said it has deployed more Dornier aircraft and ships for patrolling. The ICG said a search operation is being undertaken to recover bodies of crew members and wreckage of the vessel intercepted off Porbandar coast.

“We are alert round-the-clock, but due to these events we are on extra alert. Our ships and aircraft are doing their job,” an ICG official told mediapersons on Saturday.

ICG officials said security measures have also been beefed up in the wake of upcoming events like the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit.

On December 31, 2014, a ‘hostile’ boat from Karachi, Pakistan, was intercepted by ICG about 365 km off the Porbandar coast, before the occupants set ablaze the vessel that later sank with them.

Addressing mediapersons on Saturday, ICG also raised suspicion over the identity of the crew who, according to the maritime law enforcement agency, did not resemble fishermen since they were not found be carrying any nets. ICG stated that the interception was part of its standard operating procedure (SOP) based on intelligence input which suggested the vessel had set sail from Karachi in Pakistan for some illegal transaction.

When asked about the crew being possible terrorists, ICG officials stated that multiple Indian intelligence agencies are investigating their identity and the overall incident.

Explaining the incident, ICG officials said that intelligence input was received by around 8.30 am of December 31, 2014 regarding a suspicious vessel, following which the agency dispatched its Dornier aircraft and ship. While the vessel was identified by afternoon, it was only around midnight that ICG's vessel 'Rajratan' could reach the boat. According to ICG, the agency officials saw four men on the boat who wore t-shirts and half pants, which further raised suspicion.

As per the agency, by around midnight, when ICG's vessel 'Rajratan' reached near the boat and tried to stop it by following SOP, the latter tried to flee, leading to a one and a half hours, involving warning shots. Later, the crew set the vessel on fire, resulting in their sinking.

Meanwhile, ICG denied about any information regarding two more suspicious boats.