NAGAPATTINAM: In a fourth such incident this month, a group of fishermen from the district who ventured into the sea came under attack, allegedly from Sri Lankan assailants, near Kodiyakarai on Monday evening. The assailants also stole their boat engine, fishing equipment and catch before fleeing, the fishermen said.
According to sources, S Thangadurai (55) along with his son T Manikanda Prabu (24) and T Gangadharan (38) put out to sea in his motorised boat from Seruthur in Keelaiyur block on Monday morning. Around 5.30 pm, the group was fishing around 15 nautical miles east of Kodiyakarai when nine persons in three motorised boats confronted them.
The assailants, allegedly from Sri Lanka, boarded the fishermen’s boat and assaulted them with weapons. The assailants then stole the group’s outboard boat engine, nets, equipment such as GPS, transceiver and battery, and catch before leaving, sources said.
Using a spare engine in the boat, the injured fishermen returned to Seruthur on Tuesday morning. After informing their village representatives and the Coastal Security Group (CSG), they headed to hospital for treatment.
Based on a complaint from the fishermen, the Vedaranyam marine police registered a case. It may be noted that similar attacks were reported by three groups comprising four fishermen each, primarily from Arukatuthurai in Vedaranyam block of the district, on August 7, August 10 and August 13.