‘Uran suspects might be hiding in forest’
No suspect has yet been caught despite ongoing intensive combing operation launched by multiple agencies in Uran, where the people have become normal hoping it to be a ‘false alarm’ raised by school-going children who claimed to have seen five to six masked people carrying weapons and backpacks last week on Thursday.
The claims of school children cannot be ruled out, said coastal police mitras Samir, who further told The Free Press Journal, “There is huge security lax in coastal belt. Vashine, Khopate, Aaware, Govathane, Dighode, Borkhar, etc are sea facing hamlets situated beyond 15-20 km radius of Uran police station. Hardly any police officials are seen in these areas.”
“If the claims of those school children are authentic then the chances are very high that those suspects have entered Uran taking to sea routes through those villages,” said Samir.
“Hardly any police officials are seen in those areas,” said Zilla Parishad member of Alibaug, Vinod Mhatre, who is a resident of Khopte village.
Another coastal police mitra Vijay, who looks after Kegaon area, said, “The claims of both the children are similar. And they have been consistent in their version.”
Other coastal police mitras believe that the suspects might have been hiding in dense and rugged terrain in Uran, which is surrounded by mountains. “The monsoon has turned the mountain very dense and the creepers intertwined with the trees on the hilly areas have made the surroundings even denser. The security officials must be facing difficulties in combing operation,” said Ajay Deshpande, who daily commutes from Santa Cruz to Mora jetty via Bhaucha Dhakka to attend his office.
The combing operation in the area is still underway but no suspect has been caught. “The manpower has been reduced to big extent,” said Navi Mumbai police commissioner
The state police and other security agencies have not come to any final conclusion yet and the operation is still underway: DGP
Hemant Nagrale.
On being asked if there is chance of any terrorist in and around Uran, Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Satish Mathur told The Free Press Journal that ‘the state police and other security agencies have not come to any final conclusion yet and the operation is still underway.’
Speaking over the whole ongoing operation, Mathur’s predecessor, former Director General of Police, Pravin Dixit said, “If somebody is claiming to have seen some masked men carrying weapons and backpacks then the state police cannot discard the claims of those school children.”
“The police mitras have been doing a tremendous job in coastal areas. If any suspicious object or boat is found, the coastal police mitras immediately inform the coastal security officials and police. So, I don’t think anybody will dare to sneak into Uran using sea route,” said Dixit.