Kodinar, Gir Somnath: Following the high alert issued nationwide after the recent blast in Delhi, the Gir Somnath district police launched a major combing operation in the sensitive 110-km coastal belt. The operation was carried out under the supervision of SP Jaideepsinh Jadeja, with the objective of tightening security and checking illegal activities in coastal villages and port areas.

More than 120 police personnel, including 2 DySPs, 6 PIs, 7 PSIs, SOG, LCB and the Bomb Disposal Squad, participated in the operation. A joint team from Kodinar, Una and Veraval police conducted sudden checks at Mul Dwarka port and questioned people living in nearby coastal villages.

During the search, the SOG team discovered three to four sharp-edged weapons, including axes, knives and swords, in the compound of Hazrat Kutch Pir Baba’s Dargah. The recovery created a stir in the locality, and police immediately began questioning the shrine’s caretaker to determine how the weapons reached the premises.

Officials clarified that apart from the weapons found in the compound, no other suspicious items were recovered during the operation.

Police also detained a youth identified as Maran Mohammad Iqbal Sopariya, who has been residing in Virat Nagar, Kodinar, for the past year. Preliminary investigation suggests he is a native of Jharkhand and had been staying in the area to manage a madrasa. As he failed to provide mandatory documents and did not notify the police about his stay as required, a case has been registered and further interrogation is underway.