Pakistani patrol vessel chased for two hours, seven fishermen rescued by Indian Coast Guard

Seven Indian fishermen were rescued from Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) boat PMS Nusrat after a two-hour chase by an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship.

The incident took place on Sunday in the mid-sea off the Gujarat coast near the maritime boundary between the two countries.

The fishermen from the Indian fishing boat Kal Bhairav, which was damaged and sunk, were kept on the Pakistani ship near the maritime boundary after they were apprehended.

The Indian Coast Guard team on Agrim ship, deployed close to the maritime boundary line, swung into action after it received a distress signal from the Indian fishing boat (IFB) operating near the No-Fishing Zone (NFZ) in the afternoon.

The 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.

Officials said that Agrim was after the Pakistani ship for over two hours to rescue the Indian fishermen.

"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 ICG.

“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.