Chennai, Jan 17 (IANS): Ten fishermen from Nagapattinam and Myladuthurai in Tamil Nadu have been arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy.

They were arrested on Monday by an interceptor vessel of the Sri Lankan Navy at Point Calimeri (Kodiyakarai) for crossing International Maritime Border Line( IMBL). The fishermen had sailed from Nagapattinam fishing harbour on January 13 in a mechanised fishing boat owned by Dharmapalan.

The arrested fishermen were taken to Kangesenthurai fishing harbour in Jaffna, Sri Lanka and handed over to the fisheries officials. They were subjected to a trail at Point Pedro and remanded to a Jaffna prison till January 29.

Of the ten arrested, nine are from Nagapattinam while one is from Savadikuppam in Myladuthurai.

The Sri Lankan Navy has also apprehended mechanised fishing boats used by the arrested fishermen. According to the Sri Lankan Navy 243 fishermen were arrested in 2023 alone for crossing IMBL. 35 trawlers were also seized.

A senior officer of the Fisheries department of Tamil Nadu told IANS that they have already intimated the state and central governments with the details of the arrested fishermen as also the mechanised boats seized from these boats.