Twenty-one fishermen from Nagapattinam and Karaikal were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy during the intervening night of Monday-Tuesday under charges of poaching in the territorial waters of the island nation.
Information on the alleged breach of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) by the Indian fishermen, who had ventured into sea on two trawlers, was reportedly passed on to the Sri Lankan Navy by the local fishermen of Point Pedro, the northernmost point of the island in Jaffna district.
The Sri Lankan Navy detained the fishermen and confiscated the trawlers. They were subsequently taken into custody by the police at Kankesanthurai, official sources said. The arrest comes a week after a Sri Lankan court ordered the release of 56 Indian fishermen who were detained earlier.
Consular assistance
Meanwhile, officials from the Consulate General of India, Jaffna, met the 21 fishermen and provided them consular assistance. The detained fishermen were given relief supplies and facilitated to make phone calls to relatives back home.
