Mongla, Oct 23 (V7N) – The Bangladesh Navy has detained nine Indian fishermen and seized a fishing trawler for illegally entering Bangladeshi territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal and fishing without authorization. The arrest took place on Wednesday (August 22) in the deep sea near the Fairway Buoy, off the coast of Mongla Port.

The detained trawler, identified as FB Eni-1, was brought to the Mongla Naval Base at Dighraj around 4 p.m. on Thursday (September 23) by a naval vessel. Authorities reported that the trawler was carrying nearly 1,000 kilograms of hilsa and a large quantity of other marine fish, which will be sent to court as evidence.

According to Mongla Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md. Zahidul Islam, the arrested fishermen are residents of various districts in Kolkata, India. The trawler and its crew have been handed over to the Mongla Police for further legal action.

Officer-in-Charge of Mongla Police Station Md. Anisur Rahman confirmed that a case will be filed against the detained Indian nationals for violating Bangladesh’s maritime boundary laws and conducting illegal fishing within the country’s waters. The accused will be presented before the Bagerhat court on Friday morning.

This incident follows a similar one on October 17, when the Navy apprehended another Indian trawler, FB Shubho Jatrai, along with 14 fishermen from the same area for illegal fishing in Bangladeshi waters.

Maritime authorities said that increased vigilance has been placed along the coastal and deep-sea areas to prevent illegal fishing and protect Bangladesh’s marine resources from foreign intrusion.

END/AHS/SMA/