Seven Indian fishermen were rescued from Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) boat PMS Nusrat after 2-hour chase.
The incident took place in the mid-sea off the Gujarat coast near the maritime boundary between the two countries, on Sunday.
The fishermen from the Indian fishing boat Kal Bhairav, which was damaged and sunk, were kept on Pakistani ship near the maritime boundary between the two countries after they were apprehended.
The Coast Guard team on Agrim ship swung into action after it received a distress signal from an Indian fishing boat (IFB) operating near the No-Fishing Zone (NFZ) in the afternoon.
PMSA ship attempted to retreat, however, the ICG intercepted the vessel from Pakistan and persuaded personnel on board to release the seven Indian fishermen they had apprehended.
The officials clearly told them that under no condition, it would allow the Pakistani ship to take away Indian fishermen from fishing boat Kaal Bhairav from Indian waters, reported ANI quoting Defence officials.
“At approximately 15:30 pm, an ICG ship on patrol received a distress call from an Indian fishing boat operating near the NFZ. The call reported that another Indian fishing boat, Kal Bhairav, had been intercepted by a PMSA vessel, and seven Indian crew members on board had been apprehended,” reported PTI quoting a statement from the release.
“The ICG ship was able to retrieve the seven fishermen safely, who were all found to be in stable medical condition.”
The Indian ship returned to the Okha harbour on Monday.
Meanwhile, a joint investigation involving the ICG, the Gujarat police, intelligence agencies, and fisheries department has undertaken to probe the circumstances leading to the collision (between PMSA vessel and IFB Kal Bhairav), and the subsequent rescue operation, said the release.