The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has apprehended two Iranian nationals and seized over 200 kg of a suspected illegal chemical substance. The accused, identified as Abdul Majid and Abdul Sattar, residents of Chabahar in Iran’s Konarak region, were detained during a joint operation conducted by the ATS and the Indian Coast Guard.
ATS Superintendent of Police KK Patel has received specific intelligence that an Iranian smuggler, identified as Haji Fida, had dispatched a consignment from Konarak Port in Iran for a mid-sea transfer to an Indian vessel, with Punjab believed to be the final destination. The ATS arrested the suspect after intercepting a speedboat near the International Maritime Boundary Line, around 140 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast.
Acting on inputs that the consignment would enter Indian waters between February 15 and 16, authorities launched a coordinated operation. Teams were deployed at Porbandar, and the intelligence was shared with the Indian Coast Guard, which assisted in the interception.
On Monday at around 8 pm, the joint team intercepted the suspicious speedboat within Indian waters. A search of the vessel led to the recovery of 203 packets of a suspected chemical substance weighing approximately 203 kg.
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The boat, the seized material, and the two accused were brought to the Coast Guard station in Porbandar. Officials said the substance has been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis, and legal proceedings have been initiated.