Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Oct 23: Six boats belonging to Tamil Nadu, which were sighted on the bank of River Netravati near Kotepura, Ullal, were taken into custody.

The boats were confiscated in a joint operation conducted by fisheries department, police department and officials of Coastal Security Force. The incident happened on the evening of Monday October 22.

The officials, acting on information provided by the locals, conducted an operation. As the people in these boats did not have documents with them, the officials began questioning them. Some sources believe that the fishermen would have come here for the purpose of catching cuttlefish, catching of which is banned.

Deputy director of fisheries department, Chikkaveera Nayaka, said that officials had visited Ullal after getting information about boats having been illegally anchored there. "The boats were taken into possession with the support of police department. For further steps, they have been handed over to Coastal Security Forve," he explained.

Ali Hassan, president of Mangaluru Gillnet Fishermens Association, asked the officials to treat the incident with all the seriousness it deserves, duly ensuring that fishermen from coastal Karnataka do not face any harm. He also sought suitable action against the guilty.