Pakistani Boat With Nine Crew Members Seized by Indian Coast Guard for Illegally Entering Indian Waters

New Delhi: The Indian Coast Guard has seized a Pakistani boat carrying nine crew members after it illegally entered Indian territorial waters, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The vessel was intercepted by Coast Guard units during routine maritime surveillance off the Indian coast after it was detected crossing into waters under Indian jurisdiction without authorisation. The crew,  all believed to be Pakistani nationals, were taken into custody following the interception.

Gujarat Defence PRO Wing Commander Abhishek Kumar Tiwari in a post on X said, “In a swift and precise night operation, an Indian Coast Guard ship, while on patrol in the Arabian Sea, sighted a Pakistani fishing boat inside Indian waters near the notional International Maritime Boundary Line on January 14, 2026”.

When challenged, the boat attempted to flee towards the Pakistani side, he said. “However, the ICG ship intercepted the boat in Indian waters. A total of nine crew members were found on board the Pakistani boat, Al-Madina”, he added.

The boat is being towed to Porbandar by an ICG ship for thorough “rummaging” and joint interrogation of the crew by agencies concerned, the post said. “The operation reaffirms the ICG’s unwavering commitment to securing Bharat’s maritime frontiers through relentless vigilance and law enforcement across the nation’s maritime domain”, it added.

This is not the first time Indian maritime authorities have intervened in similar cases. In December 2025, the ICG intercepted another Pakistani fishing boat with 11 crew members operating illegally within India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), detaining the entire crew and handing them over to local marine police for further investigation.

Similarly in late November 2023, the Coast Guard seized the Pakistani fishing vessel Naz-Re-Karam in the Arabian Sea, with 13 crew members on board after the boat was found fishing about 15 km inside Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line. 

Over the years, Indian maritime agencies have routinely apprehended foreign fishing vessels and fishermen, including Pakistani fishing boats and crews , found inside India’s maritime zones without authorisation, underscoring continuous vigilance and enforcement along the western seaboard.

This incident comes amid a series of enhanced maritime security operations in India’s sea zones, where vigilance against unauthorised entry and illegal activities has been sustained in recent months.

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