RAMANATHAPURAM
Rameswaram fishermen retrieved a sunken Sri Lankan fibreglass boat while fishing off Dhanushkodi coast on Monday night.
Sekar and four other fishermen, who had ventured into sea from Rameswaram fishing jetty on Monday morning, were fishing between Dhanushkodi and Talaimannar when they stumbled upon a heavy object.
On closer look, they found that they had caught a fibreglass fishing boat with large patches of moss. As they feared that the fishing net would be damaged if they tried to discard the boat, they pulled it to Rameswaram shore on Tuesday morning.
On being informed, a team from the Marine Police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG), led by Arumugam, Special Sub-Inspector, took possession of the boat after conducting inquiries with the fishermen. The police said the boat measured 18 feet in length and six feet in width. There were no markings on it and preliminary investigation revealed that it was a fishing boat owned by fishermen of Talaimannar. The growth of moss all over the boat suggested that it could have sunk a few years ago, they said.
The Marine Police registered a case under Section 102 of the Cr.P.C, and were planning to remove the moss to look for some markings on it, they said.
R. Kennedy, Inspector of Police, Q Branch, who inspected the boat, said it was a fishing boat and it could have sunk about five years ago. Fishermen would have abandoned the boat after it sank due to some damage, and no sabotage attempt was suspected, he added.
