Security agencies detained a Denmark flagged ship following information that two crew members onboard were planning to offload arms and ammunition at Raigad near Mumbai on Sunday night.

Security agencies detained a Denmark flagged ship following information that two crew members onboard were planning to offload arms and ammunition at Raigad near Mumbai on Sunday night.

Sources said Indian intelligence agencies were tipped off about the plans and the two crew members' names. Gangster Dawood Ibrahim's aides had offloaded explosives used in the March 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts at Raigad.

A coast guard vessel on patrol in area was sent to carry out a search operation on the ship following the tip-off.

A security official said, "A message was relayed through the radio frequency to all ships asking them about the presence of the two people whose names intelligence agencies had provided. MV Danica Sunrise, Denmark flagged vessel, that arrived in Mumbai on April 17, confirmed the presence of these two members in their team.''

The team boarded the Danish vessel anchored 2km off the Gateway of India. It carried a search of the vessel around 10.30 pm on Sunday apart from the interrogation of the crew members. In the next few hours, Anti-Terrorism Squad, immigration department, intelligence bureau and customs officials joined the coast guard team for inspection and interrogation that went on beyond midnight.

A source said, "No arms or ammunition were found. The vessel has been detained and further search and interrogation is being carried out." The two crew members were former British army soldiers.