Two Bangladeshi vessels with 78 crew members held for fishing in Indian waters

Paradip, Dec 10 (PTI) The Coast Guard on Tuesday intercepted two Bangladeshi vessels with 78 people on board while allegedly fishing in Indian waters, a statement said.
    The two vessels were located during routine surveillance by the Coast Guard ship 'Amogh', it said.
    The vessels -- FV Laila-2 and FV Meghna-5, were found engaged in unauthorised fishing activities in Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), violating the international maritime laws and bilateral agreements, it added.
    While there were 41 crew members on FV Laila-2, there were 37 crew members on FV Meghna-5, the statement said.
    Upon inspection, approximately 160 ton of fish were found in the two vessels. Subsequently, the vessels and the crew members were brought to Paradip in Odisha for further investigation, it said.
    Both vessels were booked under the Maritime Zones of India Act, 1981.
    The Coast Guard said it was coordinating with relevant authorities, including the Ministry of External Affairs and the Fisheries Department, for further legal actions.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)