Ahmedabad: On a day when Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh spoke of terror groups in Pakistan plotting
fresh attacks in India, the BSF on Monday foiled an infiltration
bid by arresting nine Pakistanis from a boat in the Sir Creek
area in the Kutch district.
"We had information that some people from across the
border were trying to infiltrate into Indian territory. So we
conducted a special operation and apprehended nine men,"
Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said. "All of them
are middle-aged and arrived in a boat which has been seized."
Last year, the terrorists who attacked Mumbai, had
hijacked an Indian fishing boat from near the marshy Creek
area which is prone to cross-border intrusion before reaching
close to the western metropolis in that boat.
The apprehended men looked like fishermen but following
interrogation it was found they were not fishermen, he said.
Arun Kumar Sinha, IG (Gujarat Frontier), said preliminary
investigation showed that six of them were engaged in fishing
activities while three were not. "This is a rough weather
time...generally people do not venture into this area."
The nine men are being interrogated by the BSF officials
near the Creek area and further details will be available only
after the questioning is complete, the spokesperson added.
"The statements made by them during interrogation were
contradictory and hence they are being questioned further,"
the official said. He however, did not divulge more details.
In the Creek area is the Harami Nala, a sluggish and
shallow water channel, spread over 500 sq km which has in
the past witnessed intrusions from Pakistani fishermen.
The marshy topography makes it difficult for BSF troops
to react swiftly against infiltration. There is a territorial
dispute between India and Pakistan over the Creek area.
Bureau Report
