Suspicious Boat Off Maharashtra Coast Triggers Multi-Agency Search

Indian security agencies mounted a multi-agency operation on 7 July after personnel sighted a suspicious boat roughly two nautical miles off the Korlai coast near Revdanda in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. Initial inspections from a distance indicated the vessel carried markings associated with a foreign—possibly Pakistani—origin, according to police officials. Teams from the Indian Coast Guard, Navy, Raigad Police, the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and a Quick Response Team converged on the area overnight. Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal oversaw the operation, but efforts to board the craft were thwarted by heavy rain and strong winds. Authorities said a helicopter would be deployed if the vessel could not be located from sea. While no occupants have been sighted and investigators have not determined whether anyone disembarked, security along the Raigad coastline has been tightened as a precaution. Police are examining whether the boat drifted ashore or was intentionally navigated into Indian waters; the search for the vessel and any potential infiltrators continued into Monday.