Mumbai on high alert; 2 school kids see armed men at Uran Naval base
Mumbai: The Navy, Indian Air Force base and police in Mumbai were put on highest level of alert after two schoolchildren from the coastal town of Uran, 50 km away from Mumbai, claimed to have seen five armed men early on Thursday morning.
According to the two students of Uran Education Society — the girl studies in Class X and boy in Class IX, the men wore black masks and pathani suits of the same colour. The men moved around the Uran bus depot in a suspicious manner.
The alert, which comes four days after the Uri attack which left 18 soldiers dead, has led to elite forces like the National Security Guard, the state police’s specialised commandos Force One and the ATS being roped in for the search and security. The Navy pressed its helicopters for aerial surveillance and heightened patrolling in the sea by its vessels and high-speed boats.
The two school students were questioned by several senior police officers and other security agency officials. “Currently, we are at the Uran police station speaking to the kids. Our teams are scouting the entire area,” Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale said.
The girl was on her way to school around 6.30 am when she allegedly saw four to five armed men near the Uran bus depot. Then around 6.45 am, another boy who was at home getting ready to go to school also claimed to have seen a group of armed men.
Air, sea patrol on in full swing
The Navy, Indian Air Force base and police in Mumbai were put on highest level of alert after two schoolchildren from the coastal town of Uran claimed to have seen five armed men early on Thursday morning.
“The children told their teacher in school about it. The school authorities immediately informed the Uran police, who alerted senior officers from the Navi Mumbai police about the sightings,” said a senior officer from Navi Mumbai.
Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur confirmed about the incident and said that they had alerted the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard as well. “We have put the city on high alert and increased patrolling across the city,” said Mr Mathur.
A high-ranking officer said that keeping in mind Uran’s proximity to Mumbai via the sea, security forces had been deployed along the coastal areas as well. The state has also roped in the National Security Guard (NSG), Force One and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to conduct searches and beef up security in the area.
The Navy deployed helicopters to conduct aerial surveillance and increased sea patrolling by using its vessels and high-speed boats. Sources confirmed that 50 members from the elite commando team Force One had reached Uran. Searches and other actions as per procedure have been initiated.
