Security along the coastline in Maharashtra's Raigad district was stepped up after a suspicious boat was spotted near the Revdanda coast, police said on Sunday.

The boat was seen by security personnel around two nautical miles off the Korlai coast in Revdanda, an official was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

It is suspected that the boat had Pakistani markings and some people had disembarked from the vessel, which may have drifted to the coast.

Following the alert, teams from Raigad Police, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Quick Response Team (QRT), the Navy and the Coast Guard rushed to the spot.

A search operation began at night and authorities were able to notice a red light coming from the boat. A blockade was done in various places at night.

Raigad Superintendent of Police Anchal Dalal, along with senior police officials, reached the coast to monitor the situation, the official said.

Efforts to reach the boat were hampered by heavy rain and strong winds. Dalal herself attempted to approach the boat using a barge, but had to return due to adverse weather, the official added.

A large contingent of police was deployed in the area and overall security in the district was heightened as a precautionary measure, he said.

Source: India Today