A day after the Sri Lankan Navy allegedly shot dead a young Indian fisherman Britjo of Rameswaram island, the Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday arrested 10 Sri Lankan fishermen on the charge of fishing in Indian territorial waters.
According to sources, they were apprehended about 50 nautical miles east off Nagapattinam. They were arrested by the personnel of Coast Guard ship Arnvesh based on inputs passed on by a Dornier aircraft, which was on a surveillance mission. There were five fishermen on board each boat. After a preliminary enquiry, they were brought to the Coast Guard station in Karaikal.
The arrested fishermen included both Sri Lankan Tamil and Sinhalese fishermen from Trincomallee and adjoining areas of Sri Lanka.
The mechanised boats, which likely set sail from the northern area of Sri Lanka, were said to have been engaged in deep-sea fishing. They had stocked rations and diesel for at least a week, the sources said.
Commandant S.N.M. Patnaik, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Station, Karaikal, told The Hindu that the fishing boats, along with their GPS and fishing gear, have also been seized.
Mr. Patnaik further said that after due documentation, the two boats, along with 10 crew, were handed over to the Coastal Security Group (CSG).
