KANNIYAKUMARI : The family of a 51-year-old fisherman, who has been allegedly detained in a prison in Pakistan for the past three months, urged the authorities concerned to facilitate his release. Antony Dhas Alphonse of Colachel went missing along with other fishermen while fishing in the sea off the Gujarat coast in December last year. The family came to know about his ordeal after Alphonse called his wife, R Radha, over the phone earlier this year, sources said.
According to Radha, she received a call from Alphonse on January 16 saying that he got detained by Pakistan Navy officials on December 28, and was currently lodged in a prison in Karachi. "He (Alphonse) had gone to Gujarat in December last year for fishing work and went missing afterwards. Ever since then, I have been struggling to meet both ends as Alphonse was the sole breadwinner of the family," rued Radha, who is also struggling to pay the education fee of their three children.
She further said that Alphonse's brother had submitted a petition with the district collector in January seeking measures to ensure her husband's release. As per the petition, Alphonse failed to return after he set sail on the boat 'Vraj Bhumi' from Porbandar on December 24 with a crew of six fishermen. It is learnt that all the other crew members, natives of Gujarat, were also taken prisoners.
Meanwhile, Kanniyakumari District Mechanised Boats Fishers Association secretary Johnson urged the central government to take necessary action to secure the release of the fishers. "The government should attempt to contact the fishers in the prison and ensure their release as soon as possible," he added.