The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat with ten crew members in Indian waters in the Arabian sea off the Gujarat coast, it said on Sunday. During an operational patrol on Saturday night, the ICG vessel ‘Ankit’ intercepted the boat, named ‘Yaseen.’
The ICG ship apprehended the boat after the crew members failed to justify their presence in Indian waters after being questioned, according to the ICG. The boat attempted to flee into Pakistani waters, but due to the ICG ship’s quick response, it was forced to stop and was apprehended, according to the ICG. The boat was seized with 2,000 kg of fish and 600 litres of diesel, according to the ICG, and is registered in Pakistan’s Keti Bandar.
The apprehended boat, with the ten crew members, is presently being towed to Porbandar for detailed investigation and joint interrogation, it said. “Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Ankit’ during an operational patrol at the Arabian Sea apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat ‘Yaseen’ along with 10 Pakistani crew, operating in Indian waters during the intervening night of January 8, 2022,” the ICG said in a release.
During the initial boarding, PFB Yaseen registered at Ketibandar was found in possession of approximately 2000 kgs of the fish catch along with 600 litres of diesel, the ICG added.
Sometimes, Pakistani fishing boats cross the notional international maritime boundary and enter Indian waters during fishing expeditions. There has also been a rise in cases of such boats being used to smuggle contraband drugs through the Gujarat coast.
On September 15, last year, the Indian Coast Guard apprehended a Pakistani boat with 12 crew members in Indian waters off the Gujarat coast. On December 20, a Pakistani fishing boat carrying 77 kg of heroin worth approximately Rs 400 crore was apprehended in Indian waters off the Gujarat coast by the ICG in a joint operation with the state Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS).