Coast Guard rescues 7 Indian fishermen arrested by Pakistan agency

The Coast Guard has rescued seven Indian fishermen who were apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) in the mid-sea off the Gujarat coast and kept on their ship near the maritime boundary between the two countries, officials said on Monday.

The incident took place on Sunday when the Coast Guard received a distress signal from an Indian fishing boat (IFB) operating near the No-Fishing Zone (NFZ) in the afternoon, said an ICG release.

"At approximately 15:30 pm, an ICG ship on patrol received a distress call from an Indian fishing boat operating near the NFZ. The call reported that another Indian fishing boat, Kal Bhairav, had been intercepted by a PMSA vessel, and seven Indian crew members on board had been apprehended," said the release.

The Coast Guard immediately swung into action and sent its ship to the location near the India-Pakistan Maritime Boundary (IMBL).

Despite efforts by the PMSA ship to retreat, the ICG ship eventually intercepted the vessel from the neighbouring country and persuaded personnel on board to release the seven Indian fishermen they had apprehended, it said.

"The ICG ship was able to retrieve the seven fishermen safely, who were all found to be in stable medical condition. Unfortunately, the Indian fishing boat, Kal Bhairav, was reported to have been damaged and sunk during the incident," the release added.

The Indian ship returned to the Okha harbour on Monday where a joint investigation involving the ICG, the Gujarat police, intelligence agencies, and fisheries department was undertaken to probe the circumstances leading to the collision (between the PMSA vessel and IFB Kal Bhairav), and the subsequent rescue operation, said the release.