Port Blair, Dec 29: The Indian Coast Guard on 27 Dec 19, apprehended 15 Myanmarese poachers alongwith fishing boat for poaching of sea cucumber in Indian waters. On information from Kamorta Police at about 1600 hrs on 27 Dec 19 for a possible Myanmarese dinghy east of Kakana village, Kamorta Island, Indian Coast Guard Interceptor Boat C-422 was diverted for investigation.
The Myanmarese boat was engaged in illegal fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone which was in clear violations to the Maritime Zones of India Act 1981. On being sighted by the C-422, the boat increased speed and started heading towards the shallow waters to evade apprehension. However, the Coast Guard ship successfully intercepted the fleeing boat along with its crew. It was observed that the boat was carrying diving equipment like diving compressors, diving cylinders and masks etc. for catching sea cucumbers from Indian waters. Due to prevailing tide and wind condition, the boat got drifted towards beach. However, all 15 poachers were shifted to Kamorta harbour by ICGS C-422 and were handed over to Kamorta Police.
The Indian Coast Guard has been maintaining continuous vigil in Exclusive Economic Zones of India by deploying ships and aircraft regularly to monitor suspicious activities at sea.
