The Sri Lanka Navy arrested 12 Indian fishermen and seized their boat during a patrol off Kovilam in Kareinagar, Jaffna on Saturday, adding to a string of maritime arrests as Colombo steps up enforcement against cross-border poaching.
The Northern Naval Command spotted a group of Indian fishing boats trespassing into Sri Lankan waters and deployed craft to intercept them. While most boats fled, one vessel and its 12-member crew were apprehended for continuing to fish illegally, the Navy said in a statement.
The seized boat and the arrested fishermen were handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Kankesanthurai for legal proceedings.
This marks the second arrest of Indian fishermen in less than a week. On April 9, the Navy detained 10 Indian fishermen and a trawler during an overnight operation off Mannar. Six more individuals were arrested for illegal sea cucumber harvesting in Jaffna waters around the same period.
Illegal fishing by Indian trawlers in Sri Lankan territorial waters remains a recurring bilateral irritant. India repatriated 30 Sri Lankan fishermen last month as a goodwill gesture, though incursions by Indian boats into the northern fishing grounds have continued.
