TRICHY: Sri Lankan navy apprehended 16 fishermen hailing from Akkaraipettai in Nagapattinam and Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai districts and confiscated two fishing trawlers on charge of they indulging in unlawful poaching in the Sri Lankan's waters.
According to the sources from the Coastal Security Group (CSG) in Nagapattinam, of the 16 fishermen, 12 of the detained have been identified as T Ananthamani, C Raja, V Ravi, B Mathibalan, K Kathalingam, J Ramamurthy, M Anbu, S Chithravel, S Ravi, and T Velmayil, all the resident of Akkaraipettai and P Dinesh of Keechankuppam in Nagapattinam district.
They set out on sea on March 7, on a mechanized trawler (IND TN 06 MM 7818) owned by V Vijaya of Akkaraipettai during the early morning and were engaged in fishing activities near Neduntheevu. The personnel from the Sri Lankan navy arrived there and arrested all the 12 and seized their mechanized boat. This incident happened during the early hours on Sunday, sources from the CSG said. The navy had taken them to Kankesanthurai naval base for further inquiry.
In a similar incident, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested four fishermen from Kottaipattinam in Pudukottai district in the wee hours on Sunday. They were identified as L Arockiasamy, 54, owner of the mechanized trawler (IND TN 08 MM 081), A Ashok, 28, A Karuppu, 22, and S Sakthi, 20. They had ventured into the sea on March 11, 2023.
The Sri Lankan Navy arrested them while they were fishing about 30 nautical miles near Analai Theevu at around 4.30 am on Sunday, the CSG said. The navy had taken all the four fishermen to Paruthithurai naval base for further interrogation, they added.