22 T.N. fishermen arrested by Sri Lankan Navy; 4 vessels impounded near Katchatheevu islet

Sri Lankan Navy personnel on Thursday (February 19, 2026) arrested 22 fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam near the Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu islets. They also impounded four vessels.

According to preliminary reports, Fisheries Department officials received information that 18 fishermen were apprehended near the Katchatheevu islet and four others near the Neduntheevu islet. The 22 fishermen, along with their vessels, were taken to two different naval ports in Sri Lanka for interrogation.

It is said that the fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam ventured into the sea on Wednesday (February 18). They were expected to return to the shores on Thursday noon.

However, while they were engaged in fishing near the Katchatheevu and Neduntheevu islets, surveillance teams of the Sri Lankan Navy apprehended them at around 3 a.m. and took them into custody for interrogation to Talaimannar and Karai Nagar naval ports.

As the news reached their homes in Tamil Nadu, there was shock and anger. Their families condemned the incident and demanded the immediate release of the fishermen and their vessels.

Meanwhile, fishermen associations in Ramanathapuram district are likely to convene an emergency meeting at 11 a.m. in Thangachimadam.

With the annual two-day festival at the renowned St. Antony’s Church in Katchatheevu scheduled to be held on February 27 and 28, in which over 3000 pilgrims from India are set to participate, such an incident has anguished the fishing communities here.