As many as 18 fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were detained by the Sri Lankan navy for poaching in Lankan waters while fishing on the high seas on Wednesday were released after a few hours in detention.
The fishermen hailing from Serankottai, Natarajapuram and Puduroad were fishing near Katchatheevu around 12.30 pm, when the Lankan navy reportedly detained them. They were part of a group of 20 fishermen who had set out for fishing in two country boats and 18 of them were on one boat when the navy personnel rounded them up. Others who were fishing nearby fled the scene.
After holding them captive for about five hours on the high seas, the Lankan navy brought the fishermen back to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and handed them over to the Mandapam Station of the Indian Coast Guard along with their boat, sources said.
“All the 18 arrested fishermen were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard and they are being brought to the Rameswaram fishing jetty,” a Fisheries Department official told The Hindu late on Wednesday evening.
