No arms were found on the vessel when intercepted. Intelligence sources, however, said the arms may have been dumped en route, following a suspicion that the Indian agencies had got wind of the mission.

The agencies are also working on the possibility that the arms were shifted on to speed boats, and directed to small Indian ports.

The intelligence reports were based on radio intercepts, which indicated that the vessel had left from Singapore and was headed for Pakistan. The agencies suspect the vessel may have been chartered by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for Pakistan's Inter-services Intelligence (ISI).

The agencies suspect that the cargo, containing mostly small arms, was transshipped to speed boats which then headed for either Batkal in Karnataka or various ports inGujarat, where the Inter-services Intelligence has a presence.

The Navy, Coast Guard, Customs and police agencies in Mumbai, Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala are on high alert after intelligence reports that arms landings were likely along the Western coast.