Representational Image: The officers were sent to Daman by the Navy for a mock-drill called 'DGX' -- Defence of Gujarat Exercise."
Armed with AK-47s, a group of men in uniform were tracked and arrested by the local police in Daman today on suspicion of being terrorists. In an antithesis of a suspected terror plot, the men turned out to be naval officers whose mock-military drill was thwarted by the vigilance of the locals.
After the police was alerted by residents of the Nani Daman town of suspicious activities of men in uniform, the investigation led the police to an unattended boat at the Kadaiya coast.
"We launched a manhunt. We also found a CCTV footage showing these uniformed men," said Superintendent of Daman Police Eish Singhal.
Further investigation led the police to a mini-truck near the Coast Guard Air Station.
"We then found five persons, who were not in uniform, standing by a mini-truck. They told us that they had come here to take the delivery of some material which weighs 200 kg," said Mr Singhal.
Raising more suspicion, the police intensified their search. Finally at 1.45 am, six men in uniform were tracked and placed under arrest. "They were in full uniform and carrying AK-47 rifles," Mr Singhal said.
They were only released later after the Navy confirmed their identities to the police.
After detailed questioning, we found that all of them were Navy officers who had come here by their boat 'Gemini'. They had been sent here by the Navy for a mock-drill called 'DGX' -- Defence of Gujarat Exercise."
The mini-truck was logistic support which had come to pick up the '200 kg' boat 'Gemini' in which the officers had arrived. The mock-mission led by Lieutenant commander Rahul Mishra was not successful. However, the police say it was miscommunication on part of the Navy who had not intimated them of the drill.