Navy keeps watch along Gujarat coast

NEW DELHI: In the wake of warnings by intelligence agencies of another 26/11 type terror attack, the Navy and Coast Guard are carrying out ���Operation Raksha��� along the Gujarat coast.

���Intelligence agencies issued a warning regarding the movement of terrorists towards the Gujarat coast and planning to carry out Mumbai-type attacks. We immediately started the Operation Raksha in the end of September to look out for the suspected terrorists,��� a news agency quoting defence ministry sources said.

As part of the operation, which has been going on for over a fortnight now, suspected vessels going towards Gujarat are being searched. More than 10 ships have been deployed for the operations in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat Coast.

According to the sources, the Coast Guard has deployed five of its ships and two of its Dornier surveillance aircraft were scanning the suspected terror routes to thwart any possible attack through the sea route everyday along with naval aircraft and ships.

The 1,600 km Gujarat coastline has been under the scanner since the Mumbai terror attack in November last year when the terrorists had hijacked an Indian fishing trawler and entered through the sea route.

There have been reports that Pakistani fishermen arrested earlier this month in Indian waters in the Arabian sea could be ISI agents. As part of the coastal security measures, it was decided to have a regional Coast Guard HQ at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.