New Delhi: The Navy is likely to ask the civil aviation ministry for operational control of Porbandar airport.
In the first official reference by the government to the suspected involvement of terror groups in the incident, defence minister Manohar Parrikar tweeted, "I congratulate coast guards for timely action of intercepting a boat carrying suspected terror groups with surgical precision."
Meanwhile, according to news agency reports, there was some speculation on whether the persons on board the suspicious vessel were engaged in smuggling or whether it was a sinister 26/11-type mission. There was also speculation about whether the diesel tank of the vessel caught fire during the operation, leading to the blast.
But there were also other reports about intercepts received about carriage of suspicious goods on the fishing boat and transfer of money (Rs 5 lakh) to various unnamed people for the illegal movement of the consignment. There were also some media reports about possible use of wireless sets by the persons (aboard the suspicious fishing boat) that are usually used by the Pakistan Army and that Lashkar terrorists may have been involved in the illegal operation.
On Friday, the MoD said, "An intelligence-based midnight operation was conducted on the intervening night of December 31 and yesterday (January 1) by Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft to intercept a suspect fishing boat in the Arabian Sea near the Indo-Pak maritime boundary, approximately 365 km from Porbandar. As per the intelligence inputs received on December 31, a fishing boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi was planning some illicit transaction in the Arabian Sea. Based on the input, Coast Guard Dornier aircraft undertook a sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect fishing boat."
"Thereafter, the Coast Guard ship patrolling the area was diverted and intercepted the unlit boat at about midnight of December 31 in position 365 km west-southwest of Porbandar," the MoD added. "The Coast Guard ship warned the fishing boat to stop for further investigation of the crew and cargo; however, the boat increased speed and tried to escape away from the Indian side of the maritime boundary. The hot pursuit continued for nearly one hour and the Coast Guard ship managed to stop the fishing boat after firing warning shots. Four persons were seen on the boat, who disregarded all warnings by the Coast Guard ship to stop and cooperate with investigation. Soon thereafter, the crew hid themselves in a below-deck compartment and set the boat on fire, which resulted in an explosion and major fire on the boat," the MoD stated.
"Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and persons on board could not be saved or recovered. The boat burnt and sank in the same position in the early hours of January 1. The Coast Guard ships and aircraft are continuing operations in the area to search for any possible survivor. The Coast Guard and other security agencies are maintaining high vigil in maritime and coastal areas since the last couple of months due to several inputs on threats from the sea," the MoD added.
