The Indian Coast Guard has reportedly detained two Bangladeshi fishing trawlers along with 79 crew members and fishermen near the maritime boundary between the two countries.

According to sources, the trawlers – FV Meghna-5, owned by C&A Agro Limited, and FV Laila-2, owned by SR Fishing – were fishing within Bangladeshi waters near the Swatch of No Ground in the Bay of Bengal on Monday morning.

During the fishing operation, the Indian Coast Guard detained the vessels. The owning authorities became aware of the incident on Monday night and subsequently lodged complaints with relevant organisations, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, the Marine Fisheries Academy, the Mercantile Marine Department, and the Directorate General of Shipping.

The Indian Coast Guard later handed the trawlers over to their Navy.

Captain Sabbir Mahmud, Principal Officer of the Mercantile Marine Department, told the Daily Sunon Tuesday evening that the Indian Coast Guard seized the trawlers near the Swatch of No Ground.

“Communication between the Bangladesh Coast Guard and the government is ongoing,” he stated, expressing hope that the matter would be resolved through diplomatic discussions.

FV Meghna-5 embarked on its fishing voyage in November with 37 crew members, while FV Laila-2 carried 42 crew members. Both vessels were scheduled to return to Bangladesh this month.

Suman Dey, executive director of C&A Agro Limited, reported that the vessels were taken to the Paradeep area near Odisha, India, by Tuesday afternoon.