ICG ship intercepts Pakistani fishing boat

An Indian Coast Guard ship patrolling in the Arabian Sea has intercepted a Pakistani fishing boat after it was found inside Indian waters, officials said on Thursday.

A total of nine crew members were found on the boat, Al-Madina, they said. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship sighted the Pakistani fishing boat inside Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line on January 14, a senior Coast Guard official said. On being challenged, the boat “attempted to flee” towards the Pakistan side, but the ICG intercepted it and boarded the boat in Indian waters, the official said, adding that it was a “swift and precise night operation”.

The boat is being towed to Porbandar in Gujarat by the ICG ship for “thorough rummaging and joint interrogation” by relevant agencies, the official said.

The operation reaffirms the ICG’s unwavering commitment to secure India’s maritime frontiers through relentless vigil and law enforcement across the nation’s maritime domain, officials said.