New Delhi:

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on Sunday May 5. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG.

According to the sources, after intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity. Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and issued them Iranian Visas for fishing off the Iran coast.

The crew alleged that the sponsor ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions, besides confiscating their passports. The crew said that they had decided to escape from Iran to India using the same boat.

The detained vessel was safely brought to Kochi for further investigation today.