Robbed by Lankan gang, say fishermen

According to the villagers, the incident occurred when five boats were fishing on the southern side off Kodiyakarai near Vedaranyam, around 15 nautical miles away from Aarkatuthurai. They were reportedly attacked by a group of men, who were believed to be hailing from Sri Lanka. The gang allegedly arrived in a cluster of Indian boats around 8 pm on Tuesday.

The fishermen reported the incident once they were back to the shore on Wednesday. They alleged that the gang escaped with fishing nets weighing around 400 kg and worth Rs 2 lakh from a boat owned by one G Sivabalan and another net, having the same weight, from a boat owned by one P Tamil Selvan. “They also snatched away our catch worth around Rs 5 lakh,” one of the fishermen alleged. 

Later, officials from the Special Branch of Police, Coastal police and Fisheries Department visited the village and took statements from the boat owners and the fishermen.