Abandoned boat found near Suwali beach in Surat

Maritime board officials have seized an abandoned boat adrift in sea four nautical miles from Suwali beach in Surat. Nothing except a few empty drinking water pouches were found on the fibre-made 15-feet-long boat whose registration number was found missing.

Gujarat Maritime Board chief Captain R K Raman said,“It’s a small boat that is operated manually. We have handed it over to Marine Police Station for further probe.”

Marine Police sub-inspector S J Modi said,“It is difficult to say if any body was travelling in the boat. Its condition is not good. It is an old boat.”

Meanwhile,police and customs sleuths have started patrolling deep into the sea. Foot patrolling has also been intensified in coastal areas.