The Maharashtra Polic released a sketch of one of the terror suspects, who were spotted by some local students in Uran

Raigad: The Maharashtra Police on Thursday night released a sketch of one of the terror suspects, who were spotted by some local students in Uran.

A high alert was sounded along the Mumbai coast and adjoining areas yesterday after a group of men were spotted moving suspiciously near a naval base at Uran in Raigad district, leading to a multi-agency search operation.

“As per the reports, five to six persons were sighted in Pathani suits and appeared to be carrying weapons and backpacks,” Naval spokesman Cdr Rahul Sinha said in a statement. Some reports said they were in military uniform.

The alert, which comes four days after the Uri attack which left 18 soldiers dead, has led to elite forces like National Security Guard (NSG), state police’s specialised commandos Force One, Anti-Terrorist Squad, Maharashtra Police, Navi Mumbai police, Mumbai police, and other agencies being roped in for the search and security.

The Navy pressed its choppers for aerial surveillance and heightened patrolling in the sea by its vessels and high-speed boats.

Some children from Uran Education Society’s school first spotted the suspects in the coastal village of Karanja near Uran on the outskirts of Mumbai, and their teacher informed the police, the police said, adding none of them has been traced.

Maharashtra Director-General of Police Satish Mathur said two students had informed the police of sighting some suspicious men in Uran.

“While one student has claimed spotting one person, the other has claimed to have seen five. After this information, multiple agencies are probing it,” Mathur said.

A defence spokesperson said that according to a report they received, early Thursday morning, five-six persons in Pathani suits were sighted and appeared to be carrying weapons and backpacks.

Some other reports claimed that they were attired in some kind of military uniforms, but that could not be officially verified.

The Western Naval Command (WNC) issued a “highest state of alert” along the Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Raigad coasts where several sensitive establishments and assets are located.

Western India’s biggest naval base, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, fertiliser plants, refineries, power plants and the country’s largest container port, JNPT are located in close vicinity of Uran.

The news spread like wildfire in Uran and nearby areas, resulting in the closure of schools and colleges for the rest of the day.

A similar high alert was sounded in Mumbai with armed police taking positions at various points in south Mumbai, including near the Gateway of India and Girgaum Chowpatty. All coastal police stations from Palghar to Goa have been alerted to keep a lookout for any suspicious activities.

The development brought back memories of November 26, 2008, when a group of 10 Pakistani terrorists had sneaked into Mumbai through the Arabian Sea at Colaba and then created mayhem for 60 hours.

Much earlier, the sea route was taken for landing large quantities of arms and ammunition at various points on the Maharashtra coast which were used for carrying out the serial bomb attacks in Mumbai on March 12, 1993.

Bureau Report