Vessel avoided Gujarat coast where 'Operation Trigger' hunted for a Pak boat

GANDHINAGAR: Does the suspicious vessel intercepted 35 nautical miles off Mumbai coast with five people aboard have a Gujarat connection? Suspected to be carrying a satellite phone and coming from Dubai, the vessel has been seized and the sailors taken into custody. A fact that cannot be overlooked is that this suspicious vessel has been intercepted a few days after 'Operation Trigger', an exercise to hunt down a Pakistani boat along Gujarat's coast.The security agencies in Gujarat may deny any connection but there is no harm in taking into view a few tidbits.
On March 21 a security personnel of a private refinery in Gujarat overheard on VHF channel 9 a voice in 'Kutchi' saying that "The arms and ammunition boat has landed at Porbandar coast with our six men." 'Operation Trigger' was soon launched and a hunt for this 'Pakistani' boat continued for at least three days under the supervision of Indian Navy. Indian Coast Guard, marine police of Gujarat and other security agencies were also part of this operation. However, nothing came out of this major operation. A few days after this, the Indian Coast Guard in Mumbai intercepts calls allegedly made through the Thuraya satellite phone on board vessel 'MSV Yusufi'. The satellite phone was apparently thrown in the water by the five sailors but there were 28 live goats aboard the vessel that had left Dubai port for Mumbai. The message that was overheard on the VHF channel in Gujarat had referred to a boat with goods, six men and docking at Porbandar coast. 'MSV Yusufi' had five people, for goods had goats and the crew was communicating over a satellite phone with a person named Usman in Dubai, for whom the "goods" were being brought to Mumbai.
Coast Guard officials in Gujarat said that "MSV Yusufi' did not pass the route off Gujarat's coast for Mumbai. The vessel had started from Dubai and then from Muscat and Oman sailed south wards before turning towards Mumbai. It seems the vessel was deliberating trying to avoid Gujarat coast. For this, the five crewmen took a longer and riskier route. The interrogators need to find out the reason for this, the puzzle of goats as goods and a satellite phone for communication, which remains untraceable now. So far Indian Coast Western Region has not got in touch with its North West Region headquarters based in Gandhinagar over the issue. "We have just got to know that a vessel with five men has been intercepted in Mumbai. As of now, we have no more details," a senior Indian Coast Guard official said.