The Chief Judicial Magistrate court on Thursday remanded in judicial custody till October 16 the 12 Sri Lankan fishermen arrested on charges of fishing in the Indian waters off Kanyakumari.
The fishermen, hailing from Puttalam district in the west coast of Sri Lanka, were detained by the Tuticorin station of the Indian Coast Guard on September 30 and were later arrested by the Tharuvaikulam Marine Police, who also confiscated their two trawlers and seized about 3,000 kg of catch.
After Judicial Magistrate II N Velusamy, who is in-charge in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, remanded them, they were sent to the Puzhal prison.
The arrest comes at a time when Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of all 76 Tamil Nadu fishermen in their custody. The first batch 0f 36 fishermen were repatriated and they returned home on Thursday.
Sources in the Mandapam station of the ICG said the second batch, including 21 from Nagapattinam, four from Karaikal and 14 from Rameswaram, would be repatriated on Saturday. The ICG would receive them from the Sri Lankan Navy at the designated position in the International Maritime Boundary Line at 10 a.m. and bring them back to the Mandapam anchorage around 3 p.m.
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