20 Indian fishermen arrested for poaching in SL waters

Nine fishermen onboard two fishing trawlers had been taken into custody in the seas off the Delft Island

Twenty Indian fishermen had been arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy for poaching in Sri Lankan territorial waters in the seas off the Delft Island and Talaimannar on Saturday, the Navy said.

The Navy said the fishermen were arrested along with three trawlers during a special operation.

Accordingly, nine fishermen onboard two fishing trawlers had been taken into custody in the seas off the Delft Island, a spokesman for the SLN said.

“The rest of the 11 fishermen were arrested and their trawler was seized in the sea area of Talaimannar,” he said.

He said the fishermen were brought to the naval bases SLNS Elara in Karainagar and SLNS Buwaneka in Nachchikuda following the arrest. He said the Indian nationals would be handed over to the Fisheries Authority of the respective areas for further investigations to be conducted.