Mayiladuthurai, Nov 11: The Sri Lankan Navy on Monday arrested a total of 14 fishermen from Tamil Nadu for allegedly fishing near Analithisu in Sri Lankan waters, crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
Thirteen fishermen from Mayiladuthurai and one from Cuddalore were arrested this morning.
The arrested fishermen have been identified as Rajendran (32), Shivadas (20), Kulandaivel (27), Ranjith (30), Raj (30), Kalai (30), Gugan (28), Prasad (32), Akilan (27), Akash (27), Robin (29), Rajkumar (30), Govinda (40) from Mayiladuthurai and Barathi (40) from Cuddalore.
While fishing in the waters near Analithis on Monday, the Sri Lankan Navy intercepted their vessel and arrested all 14 fishermen, who were later taken to Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka for further proceedings.
According to sources, the fishermen had embarked on a motorized boat from the Tharangambady fishing port on November 3. The crew, comprising 14 fishermen, had started their daily fishing expedition.
However, in the early hours of November 4, their boat developed a mechanical fault near Jegatapatnam. With the help of local fishermen, the crew managed to tow the vessel ashore for repairs. After fixing the problem, the fishermen reportedly resumed their journey from the Jegatapatnam fishing port before being apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy.