Nagapattinam/UNI: The Sri Lankan Navy on Friday arrested 15 Indian fishermen and confiscated their mechanized fishing trawlers on the alleged charges of indulging in illegal fishing activities in the island nation’s territorial waters.

Tamil Nadu fisheries department officials said here that the arrested fishermen hail from Nagapattinam district.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Navy claimed that it had conducted a special operation to chase away Indian poaching trawlers from Sri Lankan waters that led to the apprehension of 15 Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lankan waters off the Kovilan Lighthouse in Karainagar and the seizure of an Indian trawler.

The apprehended fishermen and the poaching trawler were taken to Kankesanthurai Harbour and handed over to the fisheries officials at Mailadi for onward legal action.

With today’s apprehension, the Sri Lankan Navy arrested 125 Indian fishermen and seized a total of 16 Indian poaching trawlers so far this year for unlawful poaching, which was subsequently handed over to the authorities for legal proceedings.