Mongla, Oct 18 (V7N) – The Bangladesh Navy has detained 14 Indian fishermen along with their fishing trawler for illegally entering Bangladesh’s territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal and fishing without authorization. The captured vessel was brought to the Digraj Naval Base in Mongla at around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The process of handing the detainees and their trawler over to the local police was underway later that night.

According to Mongla Police Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Anisur Rahman and Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md. Zahidul Islam, the navy patrol vessel BNS Shaheed Akter Uddin intercepted the Indian trawler, identified as FB Shubho Jatra, around 11:00 p.m. on Friday near the Fairway Buoy area, just off the Mongla Port limits in the Bay of Bengal. The trawler was reportedly fishing illegally within Bangladesh’s maritime boundary.

The detainees are all residents of Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district of India’s West Bengal state. Following the seizure, another naval vessel, BNS Bishkhali, transported the trawler to Mongla on Saturday afternoon.

Officials said approximately 10 maunds (about 370 kilograms) of fish, including valuable hilsa and other species, were found aboard the trawler. The catch will be sold in an open auction at Mongla Ferry Ghat on Saturday night, with proceeds to be deposited into the government treasury.

OC Md. Anisur Rahman stated that a case is being filed against the Indian fishermen for trespassing into Bangladesh’s maritime territory and illegal exploitation of marine resources. “After the case is filed, the detainees will be produced before the Bagerhat court on Sunday morning,” he added.

Earlier, the Bangladesh Navy had seized two Indian fishing trawlers on July 14 and another on August 3 this year from the same Fairway Buoy area for similar violations.

The recurring incidents highlight the ongoing challenges faced by Bangladeshi authorities in protecting the country’s marine resources and enforcing territorial boundaries in the Bay of Bengal.

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