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Gujarat: On Sunday, The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a joint operation arrested 14 Pakistani nationals off the Gujarat coast and seized 86 kg of banned drugs worth Rs 602 crore from their possession.
In a statement the Coast Guard said,”In a breathtaking overnight operation, the Indian Coast Guard undertook an intelligence-based anti-narcotics operation at sea. Approx 86 kg of narcotics worth Rs 600 crore has been apprehended along with 14 crew from the Pakistani boat.”
During the operation, Pakistani nationals tried to ram their boat into the ATS officers to escape arrest and opened fire in retaliation. The suspects were then apprehended. One of the key vessels involved in the operation was the Coast Guard ship Rajratan, which had officials from both the NCB and ATS on board.
About this, Coast Guard said,”No amount of evasive manoeuvring tactics employed by the drug laden boat could save it from the swift and strong ICG ship Rajratan. Ship’s specialist team embarked the suspect boat and after thorough checks, confirmed the presence of the sizeable amount narcotics.” Security agencies were carrying out search operations for the last two days, near the international maritime boundary but within Indian waters.
