A suspicious small barge-type vessel was sighted off the beach in western India's Maharashtra on September 3. The incident took place off the Bhuigaon beach in Mumbai's Vasai West.

Visuals feature the chopper hovering over the abandoned ship amid the sea in broad daylight while the authorities gather around the shore to assist in the operation. After a while, they rescue a man from the boat and bring him towards the coast with the help of a harness. Meanwhile, the police officials tend to the man after airlifting him while he looks visibly devastated after the incident.

The suspicious mini barge was spotted around 10 nautical miles from the Builgaon-Kalamb area. It raised red flags as usually fishing boats do not venture in that rocky patch. Moreover, a small surveillance aircraft was also sent to inspect the boat, but it didn't get a clear view due to bad weather conditions. Following this, an aerial survey was carried out by the Coast Guard officials of the Bhuigaon beach and hovered over the suspicious vessel but could not see anyone's movement on board.

However, during the search and rescue operation, they spotted a man named Rafiq Sheikh on the boat and managed to rescue him after 24 hours of the mission. Furthermore, the officials will conduct a drone investigation of the boat and will try to find its owner to begin with the investigation.