The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) detained an Iranian fishing vessel with six Indian crew members in the Arabian Sea west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala, according to the Defence Ministry. The boat was intercepted on Sunday night following a swift ‘sea-air’ coordinated operation by the Coast Guard. The statement said that a Coast Guard team boarded to check for anti-national activity.
“Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian fishermen from Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu and issued them Iranian visas for fishing off the Iran coast in March,” it said.
@IndiaCoastGuard in a swift sea-air coordinated operation intercepts & detains #Iranian fishing vessel in #Arabian sea west off #Kerala coast with 06 #Indian crew employed on contractual basis at Iran. Crew alleges exploitation & mistreatment by the boat owner. The boat has been… pic.twitter.com/4N02929W4w
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) May 6, 2024
“The crew alleged that the Iranian 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 vessel was brought to Kochi for further investigation,” the statement said.
Team BharatShakti
