On November 17, 2024, the Indian Coast Guard successfully rescued seven Indian fishermen who had been detained by a vessel from the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) near the India-Pakistan maritime boundary. This incident took place after the Coast Guard received a distress signal from the Indian fishing boat Kal Bhairav, which was operating close to a No-Fishing Zone (NFZ) off the Gujarat coast.

The distress call indicated that the Kal Bhairav had been intercepted by the PMSA vessel, prompting the Indian Coast Guard ship Agrim to initiate a rescue operation. The Coast Guard engaged in a two-hour chase of the PMSA ship, which was identified as PMS Nusrat. Despite attempts by the PMSA vessel to retreat, the Indian Coast Guard managed to intercept it and negotiate the release of the fishermen. All seven crew members were reported to be in stable medical condition upon their retrieval.

Unfortunately, during this incident, the Kal Bhairav sustained damage and ultimately sank. Following the successful rescue, the Agrim returned to Okha Harbour on November 18, where a joint investigation involving various authorities—including the Coast Guard, state police, intelligence agencies, and fisheries officials—was launched to examine the circumstances surrounding both the collision and the rescue operation.

The Indian ship returned to the Okha harbour on Monday where a joint investigation involving the ICG, the Gujarat police, intelligence agencies, and fisheries department was undertaken to probe the circumstances leading to the collision (between PMSA vessel and IFB Kal Bhairav), and the subsequent rescue operation, said the release.