Coast Guard, Andaman Police arrest 7 Myanmarese Poachers

Port Blair, Sep 12 (PTI) Seven Myanmarese poachers were arrested in a joint operation conducted by the Indian Coast Guard and Andaman and Nicobar Police near Interview Island of the union territory, a senior officer said on Friday. During the chase on September 10, the Myanmarese dinghy reportedly carrying a large number of sea cucumbers capsized while fleeing towards Coco Island in Myanmar. Nearly 11 foreign poachers jumped into the sea to save their lives, the senior police officer said.

"The Coast Guard officers rescued three of them (poachers) and handed them over to the police, while eight managed to swim towards uninhabited Interview Island. We immediately launched our nearby assets consisting of nearly 20 officers (experts in guerrilla warfare tactics) and managed to apprehend four deep inside the jungle. We are looking for four more people, and the operation is still going on," he said.

Interview Island belongs to the North and Middle Andaman administrative district, and it is nearly 125 km north of Port Blair and 150 km (approximately from Coco Island in Myanmar). This Island is a resting point for poachers because of its close proximity to Myanmar.

On September 10, the pilot of a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, while on routine patrolling, noticed a suspicious movement of a fishing trawler near Interview Island.

They were warned and asked to lower their speed, and in the meantime, the pilot alerted the Andaman and Nicobar Command.

"Immediately, our nearby fast patrolling vessel under the supervision of a senior Commandant rushed towards the Island and warned them to lower their speed. The sea was extremely rough, and the poachers refused to surrender. They tried to flee, and during the operation, the dinghy developed some technical issues and capsized near Interview Island.

"We rescued three from the sea and handed them to the police, while the rest of the poachers managed to swim towards the Island and hide inside deep jungle. Our operation is underway," a senior Andaman and Nicobar Command officer said.

Last month, the Andaman and Nicobar Police arrested 23 foreign poachers and seized nearly 550 kg of Sea Cucumbers. Sea cucumbers are highly endangered, and they help in keeping the ocean's bed clean by eating decaying matter and food which settles on the sea bed.

Easy to pray, these slow-moving cucumbers are easily available 30-60 feet under seawater. It is used for medicinal purposes and as main ingredient in some of the exotic cuisines in the international market. Illegal poaching of these marine assets by the Myanmarese poachers not only poses a serious threat to the marine ecology of the archipelago but also damage the corals.

As per the statistics available with the Andaman and Nicobar Police, in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, a total of 66, 98, 70 and 67 (till September 12, 2025) Myanmarese poachers were arrested, respectively.