Pakistan has arrested 12 Indian fishermen with five boats for illegal fishing in the Pakistani territorial waters, officials said on Saturday.

"Maritime Security Agency (MSA) ship Nusrat has apprehended 5 Indian fishing boats along with 12 crew members onboard on March 2 for fishing illegally in Pakistani waters," the MSA said in a statement.

The ship was on routine patrol in the Eastern Maritime Region when it found these boats fishing illegally around 23 nautical miles inside Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Pakistan, it said.

"The Indian fishermen were warned time and again not to indulge in illegal fishing but they repeatedly come in our EEZ to explore benefit from rich fish resources at the mouth of Indus delta," it said.

According to the statement, the arrested Indian fishermen have been handed over to police for legal action.

Pakistani and Indian fishermen often find themselves in troubled waters as they go about their day-to-day business in the Arabian Sea. The two countries are now conducting a joint survey to determine maritime limits.

Source: Xinhua