THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A foreign vessel which illegally entered Indian waters was intercepted by the Coast Guard and Navy off the Kerala coast in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Twelve people on board the boat were detained for questioning.
According to preliminary reports, the boat was intercepted around 52 nautical miles off the coast of Alappuzha following an alert from the state police. Two Coast Guard ships - ICGS Samar and ICGS Abhinav - carried out the operation. The boat was later brought to Vizhinjam port in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to regional media reports, police have filed case against the 12 people who seem to be Iranians for violating Maritime and Passport rules and inadvertently crossing the sea boundary.
The boat, Barooki, was flying an Iranian flag. Authorities have reportedly found a Thuraya satellite phone and a Pakistani ID on the boat.