Security agencies launch massive hunt after Indian Navy radar detects suspicious vessel off Maharashtra coast

Prima facie, the security agencies say that the boat in question is suspected to have drifted to the Raigad coast.

A massive hunt has been launched by security agencies after a suspected Pakistani fishing boat was detected by Indian Navy radar off the Maharashtra coast. A PTI report quoting security officials said that it is likely to be a ‘Pakistani fishing vessel.’ It was spotted off Raigad’s Revdanda coast, the report added. The boat was detected by the Indian Navy’s radar on Sunday evening. Giving the location, the security official said it was somewhere around two nautical miles off the Korlai coast located in Revdanda.

While the initial assessment suggests that it is most likely a fishing boat of Pakistani origin that may have drifted, a probe is underway to ascertain more details. This can be done only after the boat is intercepted and agencies are in possession of the vessel. While the hunt is on, incessant rains are proving to be a hindrance.

Following the alert, the Raigad Police, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Quick Response Team (QRT), the Navy, and Coast Guard personnel rushed to the spot at night and launched the search, he said.

Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal, along with senior police officials, reached the coast to monitor the situation, the official said.

Why is Maharashtra hunting for a fishing boat?

The urgency in the alerts and the search for the boat is seen as a preventive measure by the agencies to avoid a repeat of the 2008 lapse. Back in 2008, ten heavily armed terrorists sailed towards the Mumbai coastline from Pakistan under the cover of darkness and created mayhem for three days in the state capital, leaving 166 people dead and several others injured.

(With PTI inputs )