Paradip, July 26: The Coast Guard personnel today took 13 Sri Lankan fishermen into custody for intrusion into India’s territorial waters.

Three motorised vessels, with the foreign nationals on board, were intercepted about 160 nautical miles off Paradip coast. The people arrested were taken into custody, as they were not carrying mandatory permits to venture into India’s coastal territory.

“Sarang, the Coast Guard ship on sea patrol, spotted movement of three vessels about 160 nautical miles off Paradip coast. The Coast Guard personnel kept close watch on the vessels, as their movement was allegedly suspicious. Later, the Coast Guard ship trailed the Sri Lankan vessels — Muttukumari, J.P. Marine 1, and J.P. Marine 2 — and intercepted those in mid-sea. The Sri Lankan crew members gave away and did not offer any form of resistance,” said KPS Raghuvanshi, deputy inspector-general of coast guard, Paradip.

“Those arrested are all Sri Lankan. After their vessels were intercepted, they failed to produce international maritime fishing permit for undertaking voyage in an alien country. Our personnel took them into custody,” he said.

The Sri Lankans booked under Maritime Zone Act of India were later subjected to a joint interrogation held by Coast Guard and state marine police.

The impounded fishing vessels were brought under security check and antecedents of the arrested fishermen were crosschecked. It was investigated to ensure the foreign nationals did not hatch subversive ploy detrimental to country’s security. It was, however, found that the arrested foreign nationals did not pose anby threat to India’s security. Apart from fishing nets, fishingimplements and their passports, nothing incriminating and unlawful was found from them, said sources in the Coast Guard.