Navy alert on West coast as suspicious boat goes untraced

Mumbai: A search operation by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for a suspicious boat that was apparently sighted by fishermen off Diu coast, did not yield results but surveillance has been enhanced along the west coast, a navy official said.

The navy and security agencies on March 29 received an information from fishermen that they spotted a boat with the name 'Al Salam' and bearing a certain registration number, triggering fears that terrorists could be aboard it and planning strikes like 26/11.

Fishermen in Diu informed security agencies that they had seen a white boat with 'Al-Salam' written on it near the Diu coast. There were five persons on board and were asking for directions from them.

"Soon after the information was shared with us, a massive search operation was carried out day and night. Till now, no suspicious boat was found. We have enquired the fishermen who made such claims. So far, we have not come across any such boat," the navy official said.

"We cannot say the search operation is on now but the surveillance along the coast has been enhanced. We are coordinating with coast guard and policemen for various inputs," the official added.

Fishermen in sea were also asked to be on alert and provide them information if they find any such boat again, the official said.

Authorities are taking no chances over the information considering the fact that 10 Pakistanis, who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008, had used a boat to reach there from Karachi.

Vigilance along the 40km long coastline of Mumbai, which witnessed the November 26 terror attacks after 10 terrorists entered the city via the sea route, has also been beefed up.

Fifteen Mumbai police-owned boats, including four amphibious boats equipped with advanced technology including GPS, are patrolling the city's waterfront.