A fishing harbour in Kanniyakumari district. Image used for representational purposes only
| Photo Credit: N. Rajesh
As many as 15 fishermen who ventured into the sea from the Thengapattinam fishing harbour in Kanniyakumari, Tamil Nadu, were reportedly detained near the Diego Garcia island — a part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) — on January 9 for allegedly crossing the maritime boundary.
Sources said eight of these fishermen were from Thoothoor in Kanniyakumari district, while the remaining were from other parts of the country. They would generally go on deep-sea fishing and return to the shore only after a long haul.
The fishermen had ventured into sea on December 29, 2024, from Thengapattinam harbour on a mechanised boat owned by J. Paul Surgen from Thoothoor, and were detained near the Diego Garcia island in the BIOT on charges of poaching.
As the news of the detention spread in the fishers’ colony, the family of the fishermen were left in a state of shock. They alerted the district administration seeking their intervention.
Published – January 13, 2025 03:33 pm IST
