Coast Guard seizes Pakistani boat with nine crew members for illegally entering Indian waters

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has seized a Pakistani fishing boat with nine crew members inside Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line, officials said on Thursday (January 15, 2026).

The boat is being brought to Porbandar, they said.

“In a swift and precise night operation, an Indian Coast Guard ship, while on patrol in the Arabian Sea, sighted a Pakistani fishing boat inside Indian waters near the notional International Maritime Boundary Line on January 14, 2026,” Gujarat Defence PRO Wing Commander Abhishek Kumar Tiwari said in a post on X.

When challenged, the boat attempted to flee towards the Pakistani side, he said. “However, the ICG ship intercepted and boarded the boat in Indian waters. A total of nine crew members were found on board the Pakistani boat, Al-Madina,” he added.

The boat is being towed to Porbandar by an ICG ship for thorough “rummaging” and joint interrogation of the crew by agencies concerned, the post said.

“The operation reaffirms the ICG’s unwavering commitment to securing Bharat’s maritime frontiers through relentless vigilance and law enforcement across the nation’s maritime domain,” it added.