New Delhi: A massive search operation has
been launched for a suspicious boat that was apparently
sighted by locals off the coast of Diu, triggering fears that
terrorists could be aboard it and planning strikes like 26/11.
Home Minister P Chidambaram said here on Wednesday that
information had been received from fishermen that a boat with
the name 'Al Salam' and bearing a certain registration number
had been spotted.
Fishermen in Diu on Monday 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, they claimed.
Suggesting that the name and the registration number
could be fake, Chidambaram said the real name and registration
number has been traced.
"A massive search is on. Neither the Navy, nor the Coast
Guard has been able to identify the boat. Coastal security has
been alerted," the Home Minister said.
Seeking to allay any fears, he said, "There is no threat
to the coast of India ... This boat poses no threat to the
coast... Everybody has been put on alert."
He said it needed to be ascertained as to what the
fishermen had seen.
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 40-km 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 city police-owned boats, including four
amphibious boats equipped with advanced technology including
GPS, are patrolling the city's waterfront.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 18:08