20000411

Indian Coastguard apprehends Pakistani boat

NEW DELHI: An Indian coastguard ship on Sunday seized a Pakistani vessel along with five crew members off the coast of the western state of Gujarat for illegally fishing inside Indian territory, a government statement said on Monday.

"A coastguard ship while on patrol on the Gujarat coast apprehended a Pakistani vessel "Al-Imran" with five crew, 35 nautical miles off Okha," the statement said.

It said the coastgard had intensfied its patrolling to prevent infiltration along the Gujarat coast.

"The vessel along with its crew has been handed over to the local police at Okha for further investigation," the statement added without giving any other details.-Reuters