About ten fishermen from Tamil Nadu were turned over to the Indian Coast Guard on Sunday after being detained earlier this month in the vicinity of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), tried, and fined 60,000 pounds sterling. An archipelago of 58 islands encompassing approximately 640,000 square kilometers of ocean, the BIOT, is located about 230 nautical miles away from the fishing areas the fishermen had entered, according to a defense statement.
According to the statement, the region is a British Overseas Territory that is governed from London and is situated roughly midway between East Africa and Indonesia. The statement stated that the fishermen were detained on December 6, tried at BIOT, and fined 60,000 pounds sterling. It also stated that on December 14, information about the incident was forwarded to the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office’s Indian Ocean Directorate. The 10 crew members were released, but the fine was not paid, so the fishermen’s boat was seized, according to the statement.
According to the statement, the fishermen have 30 days, from December 12 to January 11, 2024, to pay the fine. According to the statement, they were taken off the coast of Vizhinjam by the BIOT patrol boat “Grampien Endurance” and turned over to the Indian Coast Guard ships “Arnavesh” and “C 427″ while at sea. Around ten in the morning, the fishermen are anticipated to arrive in Vizhinjam, where they will undergo medical examinations and questioning from the relevant agencies.