A fishing boat was sunk in the sea near Kachchatheevu when a group of Sri Lankan fishermen allegedly hurled petrol bombs.
Sources said that fishermen from Rameswaram, who set out in a mechanised boat on Wednesday, were attacked around midnight. They could not establish the identity of those hurled the bombs since visibility was low, but believe that the group could be country-boat fishermen of Sri Lanka.
It was alleged that the Sri Lankan fishermen were upset over a section of Indian fishermen using banned nets and “double trawlers” in their fishing areas. The fishermen on board – Arumugam, Ramakrishnan, Vincent and Tamil Selvam – escaped by jumping into the sea. They were later rescued by fishermen of another Indian boat.
Security agencies, including Intelligence Bureau, ‘Q' branch and the Coastal Security Group enquired with the boat owner and others.
