Indian Coast Guard detained Iranian boat off Kerala coast
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) detained an Iranian fishing boat with a crew of six Indians west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 05, 2024. Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft were involved in the operation conducted amid strong sea winds.
An Indian Coast Guard team boarded the boat after intercepting it and conducted a thorough investigation to rule out its involvement in any anti-national activity. Initial information received from the boat revealed that the owner of the ship was an Iranian businessman, who had contracted these Indian fishermen living in Tamil Nadu and they were issued Iranian visas for fishing off the Iranian coast.
The crew reported that the Iranian businessman ill-treated them and deprived them of basic living facilities besides confiscating their passports. The crew has said that they had decided to escape from Iran and come to India using the same boat.
The detained vessel was safely brought to Kochi for further investigation on 06 May 2024.