The Indian Coast Guard intercepted an Iranian fishing vessel off the coast of Koyilandy in Kerala, apprehending six fishermen hailing from Kanyakumari in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. The vessel, which reportedly ran out of fuel upon reaching Koyilandy, has been taken into custody by the Coast Guard, as confirmed by coastal police officials, news agency PTI reported.
According to the police, the detained fishermen had departed from Kanyakumari around one and a half years ago for fishing activities in Iran. Their return journey, however, was marked by distressing experiences. An officer from the coastal police informed PTI, "As per their statement, they were not getting any salary and were suffering ill-treatment in Iran. They said they even had to suffer physical assault from the employer."
In a statement, he Ministry of Defence confirmed the incident saying, "The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 05, 2024. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG."
The ministry further informed that an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly probed to check for involvement of any anti-national activity. "Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and issued them Iranian Visas for fishing off the Iran coast," it stated.
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The crew claimed to have escaped Iran due to these adverse conditions, utilising the same boat they had been using for fishing activities. All six fishermen have been escorted to Kochi by the authorities.
"The crew alleged that the sponsor ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions, besides confiscating their passports. The crew said that they had decided to escape from Iran to India using the same boat. The detained vessel was safely brought to Kochi for further investigation on May 06, 2024," the ministry further wrote.