Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi,
A suspected 26/11 type suicide bomb attack has been foiled off the coast of Gujarat. A Pakistani boat, suspected to be carrying explosives, was sunk on December 31 night in the Arabian Sea and four people on board killed. The Pakistan boat had sailed from ‘Keti Bandar’, a small port near Karachi. Indian intelligence agencies received a tip-off on December 31 about the boat sailing out and heading for an ‘illicit transaction’ in the Arabian Sea.A Dornier surveillance plane of the Indian Coast Guard was despatched and it identified the boat sailing towards India. The Coast Guard sent a ship, which intercepted the unlit boat at midnight on December 31, 365 km west by south-west off Porbandar in Gujarat. The boat disregarded the Coast Guard ship’s command to stop and even disregraded warning shots. Instead, it increased its speed and tried to escape from Indian maritime territory.A hot pursuit ensued, which carried on for an hour. The crew of the boat hid in the lower deck of the boat and set it on fire, which resulted in an explosion and major fire, Defence Ministry spokesperson Sitanshu Kar said in New Delhi. Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and the people on board could not be saved. The burnt boat went down. India is viewing this as a suicide attack.
