Correspondent, Porbandar

Around 15000 fishing boats in the coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat, the state with longest coastline, have been instructed not to venture alone in the sea owing to possible abduction threat by terror elements from across the border.

The fishing boats have been issued advisory to move in groups,
National Fish Workers Forum Secretary Manish Lodhari today said.

He said that the advisory has been issued following the instructions from the marine police and special operation group.

‘A lone boat in the sea can be an easy target of the terrorists who could use it in the garb of Indian fishermen for a possible intrusion with their nefarious designs. So we have clearly instructed the around 15000 boat owners and the fishermen to move in groups and immediately inform the marine police of any suspected activity in the sea or on the coast,’ Mr Lodhari said.

This is a precautionary measure in the wake of the heightened alert in the coastal area. The boats include around 2500 from Porbander, 15000 from Mangrol, 1000 from Veraval, he said.

An intelligence input was received around Shivratri regarding the intrusion by around 10 terrorists through the sea in Gujarat had put the security agencies in the state in extra alert. Though no terrorist was nabbed or any untoward incident took place, occasional capture of abandoned Pakistani boats in creek area of Kutch in the past has now made the coastal security agencies in the state with longest coast extra vigilant.

Notably, the terrorist had used an abducted fishing boat of Gujarati fishermen for the Mumbai attack of 26/11.

– DeshGujarat