Ahmedabad, April 29 : Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay announced in a press conference on Monday the seizure of 173 packets of hashish (charas) worth Rs 60 crore from an Indian fishing boat near Dwarka-Porbandar. The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has registered an FIR and initiated an investigation into the matter.

As per agency report, DGP Vikas Sahay informed that besides two individuals from the sea, two others have been apprehended in connection with the case. The authorities are currently probing the intended destination of the drug consignment.

According to DGP Vikas Sahay, the ATS achieved a major breakthrough on Monday. ATS Superintendent of Police KK Patel received preliminary information on April 21 that three individuals from Maharashtra—Kailash Sanat, Dutta Sakarama, and Mangesh Tukaram—were attempting to transport a narcotics consignment via sea, using a fishing boat from Gujarat.

Acting on this intelligence, ATS devised a strategy in coordination with senior officials. On April 24, ATS PSI Hitesh Wadhe, along with several Coast Guard personnel, embarked on the Coast Guard vessel Sajad and ventured into the high seas. After several days of searching, the suspected fishing boat was identified on April 28, located 120 nautical miles away from the Gujarat border. ATS, with the assistance of the Coast Guard, surrounded the boat and apprehended Mangesh Tukaram and Hari Das from the vessel. Hari Das has previous criminal records related to murder and kidnapping cases in Maharashtra.

During the search of the fishing boat, authorities discovered and seized 173 packets of hashish (charas) valued at Rs 60 crore in the international market. ATS had deployed teams to investigate the involvement of other individuals in the conspiracy. On April 28, while two individuals were arrested at sea, the pre-positioned ATS team in Pune apprehended Kailash Sanat. Additionally, another ATS team in Dwarka arrested Datta Sakaram, a resident of Maharashtra.

Further investigations revealed that the accused, including Kailash Sanat, Dutta Sakaram, and Mangesh Tukaram, had been conducting reconnaissance in Gujarat for the past few months, attempting to rent or purchase a fishing boat. They came into contact with Ali Asghar, a resident of Mandvi in Kutch district, who facilitated their connection with the Pakistan drug mafia. The plan involved using a fishing boat from Dwarka to transfer the consignment 110 nautical miles off the coast of Pasni in Pakistan. The drug consignment, along with provisions and fuel, was to be received from a boat arriving from Pakistan, with the ultimate destination being Dwarka.

During interrogation, the accused confessed that they planned to take a fishing boat on rent from Dwarka under the pretext of fishing and then take it to high seas. They intended to capture three individuals, including the boat's captain, in the high seas, and transfer the drug consignment from Pakistan at a location near Pasni. They would then proceed to Dwarka with the drugs, provisions, and fuel.