Water police catch stolen-fish buyers

DENPASAR: The Bali water police intercepted and seized on Nov. 16 in Maluku waters a fishing boat believed to have been carrying stolen fish.

The crew had allegedly sold the catch for around Rp 1 billion.

The boat's skipper, identified only as Ampog, managed to evade arrest.

Police did not disclose the number of crewmen currently in their custody. The boat was identified as the T.H. Jaya.

"This is part of an ongoing investigation into a fish theft case that began three months ago," Bali water police chief Eka Eswara Candrana said Monday.

The case began with a police report filed by the owner of the A.M.J. Satu fishing boat.

The owner claimed one of the boat's crewmen, identified as Emmanuel Borbon, had sold the boat's catch to unidentified buyers without his permission.

Police later arrested Borbon and began their search for the buyers of the stolen catch. - JP