Pakistani fishermen blow up own boat after India navy chase: Indian defence ministry

All four people on board the vessel from near Karachi are believed to have been killed in the dramatic episode


Afp January 02, 2015
This handout photograph released by The Indian Ministry of Defence on January 2, 2015, is said to show a burning vessel off the coast of the western Indian state of Gujarat in the Arabian Sea early on January 1, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

NEW DELHI: The crew of a Pakistani fishing boat blew up and sank their vessel after trying to evade capture at the hands of the Indian navy in a high-speed chase at sea, officials said Friday.

All four people on board the vessel from near Karachi are believed to have been killed in the dramatic episode in the Arabian Sea on New Year's Eve, according to India's defence ministry.

Indian Coast Guard ships and aircraft tried to intercept the boat near the maritime border with Pakistan, around 365 kilometres (225 miles) from the coastal state of Gujarat, following an intelligence tip-off.

"However, the boat increased speed and tried to escape away from the Indian side of maritime boundary. The hot pursuit continued for nearly one hour," a defence ministry statement added.

Although the boat did eventually stop after warning shots were fired, the four-man crew then hid themselves below deck before setting the boat on fire which triggered a large explosion.

"Due to darkness, bad weather and strong winds, the boat and persons on board could not be saved or recovered. The boat burnt and sank in the same position, in early hours of January 1," said the statement.

Although the defence ministry would only say that the crew were planning "some illicit transaction", it also stated that the boat was carrying explosives.

The incident has evoked memories of the 2008 Mumbai attacks when militants managed to sneak into India's financial capital by sea and then began a 60-hour siege of India's economic capital that left 166 people dead.

India reacted furiously last month to a Pakistan’s decision to grant bail to the alleged mastermind of the Mumbai attacks, although he has since been detained again.

COMMENTS (83)

Priyadarshi Dutta | 9 years ago | Reply

Pakistani and Indian fishermen get regularly arrested by authorities for mistakenly straying into each others waters. They often end up in each others jails. Arrested prisoners are regularly swapped also. But when did India kill Pakistan fishermen, or which Pakistani fishermen blew themselves up when caught by Indian authorities? Has any Pakistani fishermen's family come forward to claim that their family members have been killed in the recent incident. Rest assured they will never come forward. Interestingly the issue is hot in India, whereas in Pakistan it has been quietly taken off the media. Pursuing it would have only opened up can of worms.

Jayjen | 9 years ago | Reply

Pakistan still not changing.. Indian army wanted to catch the boat for more information.. but the terrorists blew themselves.. Instead of learning lessons and changing from the recent School incident Pakistan is still trying to put false stories and color their ignorance..

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