Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr 7: A total of 11 Myanmarese poachers have been arrested from a remote spot in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands during a three-day operation that began on April 4, police said on Tuesday.
The poachers were nabbed from Nancowry Island in Nicobar district during the ‘Sea Sentinel’ operation, they said.
“The anti-poaching operation was launched by the police in the sea areas off Kakana, Pilpillow, Pondha and Dering on April 4 at 9 am,” DGP Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal told PTI.
During the operation, a suspected Myanmarese poaching vessel was detected near the coast of North Kakana.
“To evade arrest, the poachers cut the anchor rope of their vessel and tried to flee towards the south-east direction off Tillong Chaung. The police team pursued the vessel and in coordination with the Indian Coast Guard, attempted to intercept it. Two warning rounds were fired by one of our officers. However, the poachers ignored the warning and continued to flee,” he said.
The police finally intercepted the vessel, which was abandoned near Isle of Man Island, where the poachers escaped into the dense forests.
“On April 5, a joint team of the police and Army personnel apprehended one Myanmarese national after a brief chase. On April 6, 10 foreign nationals who were also found hiding in the forest area were arrested. In total, 11 foreign poachers were apprehended during the operation,” the DGP said.
Around 800 kg of illegally harvested sea cucumber were also recovered, he said. (PTI)
