In continuing incidents of arrests, the Sri Lankan Navy detained seven fishermen on Monday night allegedly for poaching in Lankan waters.

Though the arrest was confirmed by officials of fisheries department here, the nativity of the detained fishermen could not be ascertained. Sources said the seven fishermen were most likely to have ventured from the Tuticorin coast.

According to the official website of the Lankan Navy, the Navy and Sri Lankan coast guard on Monday had detained a fishing dhow (country boat) and seven fishermen on board the vessel were charged with the offence of poaching.

The incident is said to have happened in the northern waters of Kalpitiya coast in Sri Lanka. Besides confiscating the country boat fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) devices, the Sri Lankan Navy has also said that 500 kg of catch found in the detained boat has been confiscated.

The fishermen detained by the Navy were thought to have ventured from Tuticorin. The detained fishing crew was said to be handed over to the Sri Lankan Fisheries and Aquatic Resources department officials in Puttalam for further action.

(The New Indian Express)