The coast guard in Pakistan arrested 16 Indian fishermen and seized their three boats for alleged illegal entry and fishing in Pakistani waters in the Arabian Sea, an official said Thursday.
The fishermen were arrested late Wednesday about 180 km southeast of Karachi, Pakistan's main port, said Lt Comdr Attiq-ur Rahman, a spokesman for the Maritime Security Agency, which guards Pakistan's sea frontier.
The fishermen were handed over to the police on Thursday, Rahman said.
Pakistan and India frequently arrest each other's fishermen for border violations. Many are held for years, often without formally being charged, before they are freed.
The latest arrests take to 40 the number of Indians who have been arrested this month since Pakistan and India swapped hundreds of prisoners, many of them fishermen.
In the September 12 exchange, Pakistan released 435 Indians and India freed 148 Pakistanis.
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