Uran schoolgirl’s spotting of terrorists was a prank

4 days ago | Published by : ILT Staff Reporter

New Delhi, Sep 29: If you are wondering why a massive, multi-agency search mounted last week by the Navy, Coast Guard, NSG and Maharashtra ATS for “a group of suspicious men dressed in black and heard mentioning ‘school’ and ‘ONGC'” near the Uran Naval base in Navi Mumbai, failed to yield anything, it is because their “spotting” was figment of a 12-year-old’s fertile imagination.

The local schoolgirl had first reported the “presence of 4-5 Pathan suit-clad men speaking in a different language and carrying what looked like weapons” in Uran, sending the security establishment into a tizzy just four days after the Uri attack left 18 Army personnel dead.

However, in a second round of questioning two days after Uran was put on high alert and a massive search operation covering land, air and sea failed to trace the suspects, the girl conceded that she had earlier seen pictures of Islamic State terrorists wearing black clothes and flashing automatic weapons, which prompted her to spread the word that she had spotted them in Uran “for some thrill”.

Though the agencies were clearly exasperated at the girl’s confession, she was let off with a light warning and a piece of counselling about the consequences of such “pranks”. Intelligence sources explained that though it was the 12-year-old girl who first claimed to have seen the “suspicious looking men”, her account got credence after some other students of her school also reported spotting them.

“Though such faux alerts remain a concern, we cannot afford to ignore any of them as, if proved correct, they are a valuable tool in preventing terror attacks. But Frequent false alarms contribute to force fatigue. Citizens must also realise that false alerts cost resources and money,” said an officer.

Tags: #Uran, #UranNavalbase