Sixty-one Indian fishermen have been released from Bagerhat Jail on Tuesday afternoon after being detained in three phases on charges of illegally trespassing into Bangladesh waters while fishing in the Bay of Bengal.
The Bagerhat jail authorities handed over the released fishermen to the Indian embassy officials. AKAM Masum, jailer of Bagerhat Jail said that personnel of the Coast Guard arrested 17 Indian fishermen and seized a fishing trawler named “FB Ma Shibani,” and sent them to court on charges of fishing illegally by entering the waters of Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal on December 3 last year. The judge ordered to send them to jail.
On December 24 this year, Coast Guard personnel detained 16 Indian fishermen with fishing trawler named “FB Mangal Chandi” and the judge ordered to send them to jail. On January 31, 26 more Indian fishermen with two fishing trawlers named “FB, Shankhadip” and “FB Shwarnalata” were arrested by Coast Guard personnel and sent to court and the judge ordered to send them to jail.
A total number of 61 Indian fishermen detained in three phases were in Bagerhat Jail till Tuesday.