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On Friday, a red alert was sounded in and around the Mumbai harbour after a central intelligence agency provided fresh inputs that a mystery ship could be heading towards Mumbai from the Colombo harbour

The intelligence points

to an attack on warships in the harbour. A group of trained marine commandos has been assigned to carry out the strike.

Watch out: Naval commandos patrol the Mumbai seas. File pic

Coast Guard sources said five patrol vessels had sailed out of Mumbai harbour on the same day to track down the vessel and all ships have been put on high alert.

Officially, the Coast Guard have chosen to remain tight-lipped. Its spokesperson, Commandant A Malhotra, refused to furnish details of the alert.

Officials said the ship could be carrying arms for Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, at the behest of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence. There is a possibility that the crew could pull off a high seas transfer of arms and ammunition.

Coast Guard air stations at Dabolim in Goa and the Union Territory of Daman, about 200 km north of Mumbai, have also been put on alert. Sorties are being flown to assist ships in locating the mystery ship.

The alert follows another sounded in January this year on the heels of another group of trained Pakistani marine commandos planning to strike defencep establishments in and around Mumbai.

This was followed by joint patrolling by the Mumbai police, Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and port officials.
 
All naval and Coast Guard ships have been placed on high alert and security has been beefed up around defence establishments and ships off Mumbai harbour.

Naval commandos have been deployed round the clock on battleships in docks and entry to defence areas has been restricted to visitors.