The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) on Tuesday nabbed at least 35 Bangladeshi fishermen in two boats after they were found illegally fishing inside Indian waters.
The seized crew—in addition to about 500kg of "illegally harvested fish"—were taken into custody and later handed over to the Marine Police in West Bengal's Fraserganj on Wednesday "for further legal action", the ICG said in an X post on Thursday.
@IndiaCoastGuard Ship, while on patrol in the Northern #BayOfBengal on 16 Dec 25, intercepted and apprehended two #Bangladeshi fishing boats along with 35 crew members and 500 kg of illegally harvested fish catch inside #Indian water. The seized boats and crew were handed over to… pic.twitter.com/shahycyCpT
— Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 18, 2025
The fishermen are said to be in violation of the Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act, 1981.
The fishermen were nabbed during a routine patrol by the Anmol, an ICG vessel, in the northern parts of the Bay of Bengal, a News18 report said.
When checked, not a single one of the fishermen—who had been well within India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in those waters—was able to produce a valid permit for fishing there.
This is not the first time that the ICG has caught Bangladeshi fishermen like this. In fact, over the past three months, over a hundred have been detained for similar violations.
The report also added that these incursions, which were done on purpose, were a type of deniability-based pressure tactic, citing sources, who called this a type of grey-zone behaviour—a way for countries to challenge a neighbour's sovereignty using civilians, while also expecting the ICG's response.
Apart from intelligence gathering, these incursions are also part of the Bangladeshi government's attempt to bring about a wider anti-India sentiment by reframing the issue as India "harassing" the poor fishermen, the sources added.
For more maritime and shipping news and views, visit: Maritime, Ahoy!
