Five Sri Lankan fishermen on board a mechanised boat were arrested by the Coast Guard after they were found in Indian waters south east of Nagapattinam on Thursday.
The Coast Guard ship ICG Anand, which was on patrol, found the Sri Lankan fishermen and detained them along with their boat.
Coast Guard sources said the fishermen's boat had developed a technical snag resulting in draining of fuel.
As a result, the boat drifted towards the Indian waters. The fishermen were brought to Karaikal where they were interrogated by the Coast Guard officials before being handed over to the Coastal Security Group of the State police for further inquiry.
Police sources gave their names as B.Kithisre (44), I. Iymadhava (33), W.A. Sujeet Piyandha (44) E. Magesh Kumar and D.W.Lahiru Romesh (23). They hailed from Madhara and Trincomalee districts.
Case registered
The Vedaranyam Marine Police arrested the fishermen and booked a case against them under the Maritime Zone India (Regulation of Fishing by Foreign Vessel) Act.
Their boat had developed a technical problem and drifted towards the Indian waters
