Nine of the several fishermen who ventured into the sea from Rameswaram on Monday night, after 38 days of strike, were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy.

The nine fishermen were nabbed by the Sri Lankan navy between Neduntheevu and Kathatheevu islets in the Sri Lankan waters, according to Marine Police sources at Mandapam.

A boat belonging to Antonysamy sank near Neduntheevu after midnight. The fishermen on another boat went to help them. They rescued the fishermen of the sinking boat. However, all of them were apprehended by the Sri Lankan navy, marine police sources said.

U Arulanandam of Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen (ARIF) said the apprehended fishermen had been handed over to the fisheries department in Jaffna and might be produced before court later in the day.

Though the island nation released all Indian fishermen who had been arrested earlier, their boats were still in Sri Lankan custody. Demanding the release of their boats, the Rameswaram fishermen had been on strike from July 24. After 38 days of strike, they went for fishing on Monday. (TNIE)