Thursday, October 6 2005 16:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ahmedabad: Indian Coast Guard personnel have apprehended a Pakistani fishing boat and arrested seven crew members onboard inside the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) near the international border, sources said today (Oct 6, 2005).

During patrol yesterday, the Coast Guard personnel sighted a boat, which was small in size and different in shape than the Indian fishing boats, whose crew was engaged in illegal fishing.

Seeing the approaching Coast Guard vessel, the boat disengaged her nets into the sea and tried to flee at a high speed, they said.

The crew members of the Pakistani boat 'Al-Islam', operating from Karachi, were brought to Okha to be handed over to the local police.

The boat was seized and the crew members were detained for violation of Section 3 and 7 of Maritime Zone of Indian Act 1981, sources added.