16 bangla fishermen held off Orissa coast

BALASORE: Sixteen suspected Bangladeshi nationals were taken into custody by the Coast Guard after their mechanised vessel trespassed on Indian waters and fired on local fishermen off the Orissa coast on Saturday.Sources said the foreign fishing vessel was spotted by the local fishermen a few nautical miles between Talasari in Balasore and Digha in West Bengal at about 9 am.Balasore Trawler Owners’ Association president Badal Das said fishermen from Balaramgadi base, who had gone fishing, spotted the vessel. “When the local fishermen queried on their whereabouts, they attempted to flee after opening fire at them,” he said. Receiving information, other Indian vessels surrounded the foreign vessel and alerted the Balasore police. The police then passed on the information to the Coast Guard officials at Paradip, West Bengal Government and Naval authorities.While a Coast Guard ship from Paradip rushed to the spot, two helicopters from Kolkata were pressed into service to intercept the vessel. The local fishermen provided GPS marking which helped the Coast Guard personnel intercept the vessel. After a three-hour long operation, the vessel was captured and the foreign fishermen were brought to Paradip.Balasore SP Rajesh Kumar said the vessel was captured near Haldia after a joint operation by Marine police, Coast Guard and Naval officials. DIG (eastern range) Sanjay Kumar said the operation, with the help of local fishermen, was successful.