Pakistani boat carrying arms, drugs seized along Gujarat coast, 10 arrested

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) apprehended a Pakistani boat along the Gujarat coast that was attempting to venture into Indian waters with arms, ammunition and approximately 40kg of drugs worth Rs 300 crore. Ten people aboard the Pakistani boat have been arrested.

The Indian Coast Guard received intelligence input from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Gujarat, based on which, during the intervening night of December 25 and 26, the ICG strategically deployed its fast patrol class of ship ICGS Arinjay to patrol the area close to the notional International Maritime Border Line (IMBL).

During the early hours of Monday, the ICG observed a Pakistani fishing boat ‘Al Soheli’ moving suspiciously in Indian waters.

When the Indian Coast Guard started questioning those aboard the Pakistani boat, the boat started evasive manoeuvring and did not stop even when the Indian Coast Guard fired warning shots. ‘Arinjay’, the ship of the Indian Coast Guard, intercepted the Pakistani boat.

The Indian Coast Guards boarded the Pakistani boat and found the crew behaving in a suspicious manner. The ICG searched the boat and found arms, ammunition and approximately 40 kgs of narcotics worth Rs 300 crores. The officials seized the boat and arrested the crew, all of whom are being brought to the coastal town of Okha in Gujarat for further investigation.

This is the seventh joint operation by the Indian Coast Guard and ATS, Gujarat in the last 18 months and first crackdown, wherein arms and ammunitions, along with drugs, were being smuggled into the country. During this period, a total 346kg of heroine worth Rs 1,930 crores have been seized and 44 Pakistani nationals and seven people from Iran have been arrested. (India Today)