New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard conducted a swift coordinated operation involving ships and aircraft, detaining an Iranian fishing vessel carrying six Indian crew members west of Beypore, off the Kerala coast, late on Sunday.
The defence ministry confirmed the incident on Monday afternoon.
The officials confirmed that the initial investigation revealed that an Iranian sponsor owned the boat and had hired Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu for fishing off the coast of Iran.
The sponsor provided them with Iranian visas but allegedly mistreated them and denied them basic living conditions, also seizing their passports.
In response, the crew decided to flee from Iran to India using the same boat.
Further, the ministry confirmed that after intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and conducted a thorough investigation to determine potential involvement in anti-national activities.
Their initial findings revealed that the boat’s owner was an Iranian sponsor who had hired Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu and provided them with Iranian visas for fishing off the coast of Iran.
Later, the detained vessel was safely transported to Kochi, Kerala on Monday, for further investigation.
Further, numerous reports indicate that foreign vessels are engaging in illegal fishing in Indian waters, leading to significant financial losses for the country and negatively impacting the livelihoods of local fishermen.
These reports also claim that many of these vessels remain registered in their home countries and are managed by foreign companies.
The reports also criticise the authorities for inadequate monitoring, control, and surveillance of these vessels.