Pak boat intercept: "Drop arms, stay still"

New Delhi, April 24: "Drop the arms into the water. Stay still." This was the message that the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) picked up while tracking the boat from Pakistan which was intercepted at sea earlier this week.

There were eight persons on this heroin laden boat who being handled by a set of men based out of Karachi and Thailand. It is an indicator that the contraband was headed into the Indian waters from where it would be smuggled into Thailand and later into the European market. [Pak boat: How the 80 billion dollar heroin market is flourishing?]

Drop your arms, boatmen were urged

Sources tell OneIndia that every movement of the boat was being guided by a set of handlers from Karachi and Thailand. There are intercepts that suggest that the men in Karachi were even speaking directly with those in Thailand. [Pak boat: Did 2 more go off the radar?]

There was tension in the air as the men from Thailand repeatedly asked about the status of the boat as they were eagerly awaiting the contraband. However the handlers in Karachi realized that the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard were closing in on them.

When they felt that there was no escaping the Indian Navy and Coast Guard a message went out to them, "drop your arms in the water and stay still." There was a sense of expectancy that by staying still they would still avoid the coast guard and navy.

The idea was to stay still and avoid the coast guard and navy. The next plan of action was to retreat back into the Pakistan waters, sources investigating the case also informed.

The boats that got away

The NTRO had also picked up chatter which was coming out of the other boat. It was very evident that there was more than one boat. It appears to be more of a boat was backing up this boat which was finally intercepted. [Pakistan boat was carrying nearly 100 kgs of heroine]

In such operations, a back up boat is always sent in and it often sails at a distance. The back up boat is sent just in case the main boat runs into technical difficulties. This is always the case in such an operation, an officer informed.

The back up boat was intimated about the difficulty that the main boat had run into. It was quite a distance and hence was ordered to retreat. It is obvious that the back up boat sailed back into Pakistan waters, investigations would show.

All the way to Thailand

The fact that the NTRO picked up intercepts not just from Karachi but also Thaliand makes the destination of this boat clear. It is no secret that the heroin generated out of Pakistan has the biggest landing points in Thailand.

From Thailand there is a dedicated route which ensures that the heroin is pushed into the European market. Thailand also houses one of Dawood Ibrahim's biggest dens.

The Thailand Pakistan link is a clear cut one. Thailand always picks up 99 per cent of the drugs that comes from Pakistan and circulates it to the rest of the world. On the other hand, the arms that come into Thailand are routed into Pakistan.

OneIndia News