A Coast Guard ship deployed in the north Arabian Sea sighted a foreign boat inside the EEZ, approximately 115 nautical miles west of Dwarka. (Photo: Indian Coast Guard)The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has apprehended four Iranians aboard a suspicious Sri Lankan boat carrying a huge consignment of cigarettes, a banned satellite phone, and mobile phones in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) west of Dwarka, Gujarat.ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEOA Coast Guard ship deployed in the north Arabian Sea sighted a foreign boat inside the EEZ, approximately 115 nautical miles west of Dwarka, on Saturday. The capture comes days after two Iranians were found in Indian waters with over 200 kg of a suspicious narcotic substance on a boat.“The movement pattern of the boat was found suspicious, and the ship proceeded to investigate the boat. On sighting an ICG ship, the boat attempted to flee towards IMBL (International Maritime Boundary Line). However, it was intercepted and stopped by an ICG ship,” an ICG statement said.According to the IGG, the boat was identified as Al Mukhtar, but it was transmitting a different name on the automatic identification system (AIS).All four crew members on the boat claimed to be Iranian, and their boat was registered in Colombo. However, they could not produce valid documentation or provide a satisfactory explanation for their presence in Indian waters, the ICG said.The boat contained 200 cartons with about one lakh cigarette packets hidden in the hold. The boat also had a Thuraya satellite phone set, banned in India, and eight mobile phones, four of which had internet connectivity.As per the ICG statement, the value of the cigarettes in the international market was estimated to be Rs 2.5–5 crore. The boat was taken to Porbandar for further investigation.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:coast guard