The British Navy has recently released 10 Indian fishermen arrested for illegal fishing in the British archipelago of Diego Garcia. Among them, one hails from Tamil Nadu while others are natives of Jharkhand and Assam. They were handed over to the Coast Guard and transported to Vizhinjam yesterday morning.
However, their boat remains in custody due to an unpaid fine of Rs 60 lakh. They have until January 11 to settle the fine to reclaim their vessel. Led by Bosco Jerin Charles, a resident of Thuthoor, Tamil Nadu, the team was escorted to the sea border by the British Indian Ocean Territory Patrol vessel Grampian Endurance at midnight.
The Coast Guard’s C427 patrol ship, under the leadership of Station Commander G. Sreekumar, Operations Officer Rodrigues and C.427 CEO Paramjit Singh retrieved them and brought them to Vizhinjam. Following interrogation by security agencies, they were handed over to the Tamil Nadu Fisheries authorities. Earlier, 32 fishermen detained by the British Navy on September 26 were brought to Vizhinjam last month and subsequently taken to Tamil Nadu. Their two boats faced fines of Rs 20 lakh each with one boat remaining impounded due to non-payment. These fishermen were detained for a period of 47 days.