Seven Indian fishermen remanded to prison

Seven Indian fishermen were on Monday sent to the city’s central prison on judicial remand. The detained fishermen were produced before the court of the Judicial Magistrate (West) and orders were issued for them to be kept at the Karachi central jail.

The detained Indian fishermen, namely Jagdesh, Cheeta, Barat, Sanjay, Daleep, Govand and Dheero, were arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) for alleged violation of the country’s territorial waters. They were initially detained at the Docks police station. Indian and Pakistani fishermen are frequently detained for illegal fishing since the Arabian Sea border is not clearly defined and many boats lack the technology to fix their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail, even after serving their terms, as poor diplomatic ties between the two neighbours mean fulfilling bureaucratic requirements can take a long time. In January this year, Pakistan had released 219 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture, while 18 Pakistani fishermen arrested in India reached Karachi on March 4.

Two ‘fraudsters’ remanded

The court of Judicial Magistrate (East) remanded two suspected fraudsters the central prison on judicial remand. Zulfiaq and Ziarat Gul are accused of handing over a fake cheque for Rs2.5 million to a Chinese woman, Hojimin, during a business translation. The lady lodged a case against the suspects with the Firozabad police station. Subsequently, they arrested and produced before the court on Monday.