Ahmedabad: In a joint operation, the Indian Navy and the Coastguard intercepted a Pakistani vessel with eight suspected smugglers off the coast of Porbandar on Monday.

Reports said the boat was allegedly carrying more than 140 kilograms of contraband that could be heroine. Satellite phones have also been recovered from the vessel.

Following the seizures, the Indian authorities have taken the eight occupants of the boat under arrest.

As per an English daily, the Navy's ICG ship ‘Sangram’, a Samar-class off shore patrol vessel, intercepted the Pakistani boat some 150 nautical miles off Porbandar coast.

The eight arrested sailors, all Pakistani nationals, are being brought to Porbandar for interrogation, officials stated.

There have been intelligence inputs that Pakistan-based terrorists could use the sea route again to target Indian cities, on the lines of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

The interception of the boat came less than four months after a Pakistani fishing boat believed to be carrying explosives was intercepted some 365 kilometres off the Porbandar coast by the Coastguard on the intervening night of December 31, 2014 and January 1, 2015.

As per the government, the occupants of the boat had set the vessel on fire on being challenged by the Coastguard. The boat then exploded and sank with the four crew members on board.