BSF apprehends 5 Pakistan fishermen in Kutch, 6 boats seized

Kutch, Nov 10: The Border Security Force (BSF) has apprehended five Pakistani fishermen and seized six boats from the Harami Nala creek area along the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat's Kutch district, an official said on Friday.

A patrol party of the BSF's 79th battalion apprehended the fishermen when they were allegedly fishing inside Indian territory in the Harami Nala creek along the border, the official of Gujarat frontier of the paramilitary force said.

While three of them were apprehended yesterday, the other two were held by the BSF during a search operation in the creek this afternoon, he said. Preliminary investigation revealed that the apprehended fishermen belonged to villages in Sujawal district of Sindh province of Pakistan, he said. Those who were caught yesterday were identified as Niyaz Hussain (28), Laung Ali (35) and Rajib Ali (32).

Given the sensitive nature of the area even Indian fishermen are barred from fishing in the creek. However, Pakistani fishermen from the coastal areas of Sindh often venture into the Indian waters for a catch.

Several fishing boats and Pakistani fishermen were caught in the past while fishing in the Indian side of the creek area. In September, the BSF had apprehended five Pakistani fishermen and seized 21 boats from the same area.

PTI