FIR in Gujarat against Pak Navy personnel for kidnapping, bid to kill Indian fishermen at sea

The Gujarat police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a group of 20 to 25 Pakistani Navy personnel for allegedly kidnapping and attempt to kill seven Indian fishermen in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast, an official said on Sunday.

As per the FIR, the incident took place around 5 pm on October 6 when seven crew members on board an Indian boat named Harsiddhi were fishing in the Indian waters off the Jakhau coast. It said 20 to 25 uniformed jawans on a Pakistan Marine Security Agency boat named PMSA BARKAT 1060 started unprovoked firing on the Indian boat. They destroyed and sank the boat, kidnapped the fishermen and took them on their vessel.

The fishermen were beaten up with a stick which left them injured. The accused persons also recorded a video of the fishermen and released them after a threat, the FIR said. Porbandar Superintendent of Police Ravi Mohan Saini said the fishermen were rescued and brought to Jakhau port in Kutch district of Gujarat by an Indian Coast Guard boat on Friday.

He said the FIR was lodged at Jakhau and transferred to Navibandar, a police station in Porbandar district which has territorial jurisdiction beyond 12 nautical miles off the Gujarat coast. The case was registered against the accused under Indian Penal Code Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 365 (kidnapping), 427 (causing damage), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (1), according to the FIR.

Saini said, “The Indian boat sank due to a collision and we do not have the GPS (global positioning system) to ascertain its coordinates. Based on a complaint by one of the fishermen, the FIR has been registered under sections for attempt to murder and kidnapping.” “As of now, we do not have any more details than those provided by the complainant fisherman. Our Special Operation Group sub-inspector is investigating the case,” he said.

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