NSG teams put on standby in Mumbai and New Delhi

MUMBAI: Thursday’s security scare at Uran triggered a chain reaction in which the Navi Mumbai police, the Mumbai police, Indian Navy, anti-terrorism squad, the National

MUMBAI: Thursday’s security scare at Uran triggered a chain reaction in which the Navi Mumbai police, the Mumbai police, Indian Navy, anti-terrorism squad, the National Security Guard (NSG) and Force One were successively put on alert. NSG teams were on standby in Mumbai and another team kept ready in Delhi. Uran also has a training base for the elite Marine Commando Force, Marcos.

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While searches by the Navi Mumbai police yielded nothing, officials in the state police said they weren’t taking any chances as Uran is of strategic importance, housing establishments such as the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, India’s lastest container terminal, an Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plant, a naval base and an arms depot.

The Indian Navy maintains an important base near Mora. INS Abhimanyu is located at Naval Station Karanja, which is home to its elite Marine Commandos (MARCOS).

Navy spokesperson DK Sharma said, “The navy has been on a state of high alert since receiving this input about suspicious activity. We are taking action according to the standard operating procedure. We have informed all coastal security stakeholders and are closely monitoring the situation with the police.”

Director General of police Satish Mathur said, “We have alerted entire police force, including the anti-terrorism squad. A Force One team has been dispatched too. Every possible measure is being taken to keep our city safe.”

Minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar said, “All security agencies are on the job. It would not be appropriate to divulge any further information about the operations. The agencies have started combing operations and there is no need to panic. We appeal to citizens to maintain peace and inform the police if they spot any suspicious activity.”

The navy issued the following statement: “A report that some suspicious persons have been sighted early morning of 22 September, 2016 in Uran, Maharashtra, was received in the morning. As per the report, 5 to 6 people were sighted in pathan suits and appeared to be carrying weapons and backpacks. Indian Navy’s Western Naval Command expeditiously reacted to the situation by initiating an alert and informing coastal security stakeholders...No person has been located or apprehended till now.”