Four fishermen from Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district were allegedly assaulted at sea by unidentified foreign individuals late Tuesday night. The attackers reportedly hurled stones at them and looted a large quantity of fishing nets before fleeing. The incident surfaced when the fishermen safely reached the shore on Wednesday morning.
The victims — R. Sundaramohan (47), N. Navukkarasu (35), A. Ranjith (35), and S. Chozharajan (30) — are all from Arcot Thurai, a coastal fishing village. They had gone fishing in a fibre-reinforced glass boat the previous night.
According to their statement, the confrontation occurred roughly 17 nautical miles east of Arcot Thurai. Two unidentified boats, reportedly carrying six men suspected to be of Sri Lankan origin, approached them and began attacking without warning. The assailants pelted stones, forced the fishermen to retreat, and seized nearly 300 kg of fishing nets already cast in the water.
Though shaken, the fishermen managed to return without physical harm. On reaching the coast, they lodged a formal complaint with the local police.
The Vedaranyam Marine Police have registered a case and launched an inquiry to ascertain the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the mid-sea assault. Authorities are also coordinating with coastal security units for further action.