"The Coast Guard has done right job at right time based on intelligence inputs," Parrikar said. "The Coast Guard reacted immediately, boat was on surveillance for 12 hours and it was intercepted as soon as possible," Parrikar added.
Parrikar said that people on board the Pakistani fishing boat were not likely to be smugglers.
"I think they were suspected terrorists as they committed suicide, a normal boat even carrying drugs can surrender," the defence minister said.
Even the location of the boat also raised suspicion about it. "The location was not normal sea route, even the smugglers normally take the busy route so that they can mingle with boats," Parrikar added.
READ ALSO: 'Terror boats' — 173 marine commandos deployed in Gujarat coastal areas
Intercepts indicate 'terror' boats were in touch with Pak army
Electronic chatter shows that two Pakistani fishing boats, one of which sank after being intercepted by the Coast Guard in the Arabian sea in early hours of January 1, were in frequent touch with Pakistan army and Maritime Security Agency of Pakistan through a "contact".
Sources privy to the wireless intercepts, which led technical intelligence agency NTRO to alert the Coast Guard, claimed that the "contact" also talked to someone in Thailand on a frequent basis.
It was around 8.30am on December 31, that the Coast Guard received the first intercept about two "suspicious boats" headed towards Indian waters from Keti Bandar near Karachi. The Coast Guard then launched a Dornier reconnaissance aircraft, apart from diverting patrol vessel ICGS Rajratan towards the area.
One fishing boat was "positively identified" by the afternoon, while the other could never be traced. Then followed the "hot-pursuit" of the intercepted trawler with ICGS Rajratan firing warning shots at it, which finally ended in the boat sinking — with four people on board — around 365km from Porbander early on January 1.
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