Intelligence sources said that at least one of the boats used to carry out the attack was Kuber, a private Indian fishing boat from Porbandar in Gujarat. Kuber was found abandoned some five nautical miles off the Mumbai coast. The Coast Guard, which seized the boat after an aerial reconnaissance, found a body in it — of a middle-aged man who is yet to be identified.

The 45-feet long, 15-feet wide Kuber is owned by Porbandar fisherman Vinod Masani. It left Porbandar on November 13 with six men on board. “This morning we were told about Kuber being spotted near Mumbai. We have no news about the crew,” said Manish Lodhani, secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum in Porbandar.

Masani is being questioned by the police and Coast Guard. Apart from Kuber, Masani owns four other fishing trawlers. Two of his boats had been seized earlier by Pakistan security agencies for straying into their waters. He told The Indian Express he was not sure if the Kuber that had been seized near Mumbai was his or another by the same name.

Porbandar SP Dipanker Trivedi said: “It is true there are preliminary reports of a boat named Kuber having been used by the terrorists to reach Mumbai. We are still verifying it.” Lodhani said: “Whether Kuber was captured by Pakistani agencies after it strayed into their waters or was hijacked specifically for the mission is being investigated.”

The Navy today sent two warships and a fast-attack craft to intercept a merchant ship which was suspected to have launched the terrorists. Its last port of call was Saudi Arabia. Top government sources said Naval Headquarters directed two warships to intercept the ship and one vessel was asked to join the chase mid-way. The suspect ship was said to be 50-70 nautical miles north-west of Mumbai.

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