False Alarm: Suspicious Boat in Arabian Sea Turns Out to Be Fishing Net Buoy

A 20-hour search operation for a suspected Pakistani boat near Maharashtra's Raigad district revealed it was a fishing net buoy with an AIS transponder. The operation involved multiple agencies, and past security threats escalated the response. Police confirmed the buoy's identity after speed and movement analysis.

After a 20-hour search involving various agencies, the 'suspicious boat' spotted in the Arabian Sea near Maharashtra's Raigad district has been identified as a fishing net buoy. The discovery occurred with an AIS transponder drifted into Indian waters, police reported on Monday.

Owing to a heightened state of alert, the sensitive operation remains active, as indicated by Raigad Superintendent of Police Aanchal Dalal. The Indian Coast Guard had initially alerted police on Sunday night about a suspected Pakistani boat, sparking an intensified response.

Former security scares, including the 2008 Mumbai attack, created urgency. A combined team of the Raigad Police, Navy, and Coast Guard, among others, conducted extensive searches until the verification of the vessel's identity as a buoy. Operations emphasized coastal security, including patrols and surveillance, ensuring safety measures remained robust.