The carelessness of the owner of the boat Hira Devi, which was stranded in suspicious circumstances at Bhuigaon beach in Vasai on Thursday, left hundreds of policemen and other agencies including the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) as well as the Coast Guard on their toes for nearly 24 hours, as it was perceived as a security breach.

The fisherfolk had alerted Vasai police on Thursday after they spotted the stranded boat. The police used the binoculars to watch for movement on board the suspicious boat but nothing could be ascertained. They alerted Coast Guard officials who pressed a helicopter into service to conduct an aerial survey to check for any suspicious movement. Also, one ship with its crew members was kept on standby nearby to tackle any untoward incident.