Terrorists from Iran and Pakistan using India’s western coast for smuggling
Pak-Iran terror groups target India’s west coast for smuggling arms, and drugs
Tehran (Iran) – India’s western coast and maritime areas are being used by terrorist groups in Pakistan and Iran to smuggle arms and drugs. The method used for this is shown in the movies so that their leader will not be identified even if they are caught. Identifying the main perpetrators of trafficking ships is an extremely challenging task. In situations where people caught aboard these ships do not have information about who owns the cargo or who are the ones paying them, raids and investigations often yield little success.
Indian security agencies intercepted a boat off the coast of Gujarat in the Arabian Sea and arrested five Pakistani suspects. More than 3,000 kilos of narcotics were seized from them. It is impossible to stop and search every such boat in the Arabian Sea. The western coast of India stretches from Surat (Gujarat) in the north to Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) in the south, covering an estimated distance of 1,500 kilometres. Traffickers operate to smuggle goods into India from Pakistani and Iranian shores.
Boats used for smuggling are usually 50-70 feet long, 15-20 feet wide, and 10-12 feet high. They weigh 1,500 tons and can carry 15-20 men. These terrorist groups purchase weapons and contraband from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan and supply them to countries along the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
According to a Sunday Guardian report, the ammunition used in the 1993 Mumbai blasts and 3,000 kg of RDX explosives were brought to Mumbai from Pakistan through Shekhadi and Dighi ghats in Shrivardhan taluka in Raigad District of Maharashtra.
Several armed groups are active in the Chabahar port area in Iran, conducting illegal activities with the tacit approval of Pakistan. One such group, Jaish-ul-Adl, is suspected of being involved in the abduction of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav. Jadhav was allegedly abducted from Chabahar in March 2016 and taken to a clandestine intelligence agency in Pakistan.
On 11th January this year, an American warship intercepted a small boat near the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea. The boat was found to contain weapons made in Iran. During the operation, 14 individuals were apprehended. Pakistani identification documents were found on all of them. Initially, the suspects claimed they had come from Pakistan, but later they admitted to coming from Iran’s Chabahar port. According to American intelligence sources, the intercepted boat was carrying components of missile systems intended for Houthi rebels, and they were sent by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.