In a midnight operation in the high seas, a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives was intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard off the coast of Gujarat, but the vessel exploded and caught fire before sinking along with four occupants.
The incident which occurred on the night between December 31 and January 1, some 365 kms off the coast of Porbander, generated strong speculation that it was reminiscent of 2008 Mumbai terror strikes, but there was no official confirmation of that with the Defence Ministry merely stating that the boat from Keti Bunder near Karachi "was planning some illicit transaction" in the Arabian Sea.
The intercept took place following a precise intelligence-based midnight operation which was conducted by the Coast Guard ships and aircraft to intercept the suspect fishing boat, Coast Guard Inspector General (Operations) K R Nautiyal said.
