Kendrapara: Odisha Police Wednesday seized nine illegal wireless sets from the homes of seven persons spread across four villages in Kendrapara district, officials said.
“Acting on a tip-off, police conducted raids and seized the sets from Talachua, Amarabati, Bhanjaprasad, and Sailendranagar villages,” police added.
The villagers did not have licenses to use Very High Frequency (VHF) sets at home, said Sasmita Sahoo, the inspector-in-charge of Talachua Marine police station.
“It is suspected that trawl operators fishing in the no-fishing zones of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary may be using these wireless sets to track forest and marine police patrols, threatening coastal security” she added.
“There have been reports of marine fishermen illegally installing VHF sets in seaside village homes to alert trawler operators about the movements of forest department patrol vessels at sea,” said Manas Das, assistant conservator of forests, Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
PTI
