Fifteen among the over 100 fishermen, who went missing late Thursday after several trawlers capsized in Bay of Bengal, are now in custody of Indian police.

As many as 15 fishing trawlers capsized during a storm in the Bay leaving more than 100 fishermen missing.

Fifteen of them apparently found their way to the shores of neighbouring India as they were drifted away after their trawlers capsized.

They are currently in custody of police in South 24 Parganas district in India’s West Bengal, Sub Inspector Milon Das of the Parthapratim police station, where the fishermen are kept, told Bangla Tribune on Saturday.

 “They came into Indian water drifting on the Bay of Bengal. Indian fishermen at Kalas area rescued them on Friday (Sep 21) and later brought to the police station.

“It’s yet to be decided whether legal procedures will be initiated,” said the West Bengal police officer.

All the fishermen, found in India, hailed from the southern Bangladesh district of Barguna.

The local fishing trawler owners’ association President Golam Mostofa said, “We learned that the Indian fishermen have rescued 24 of ours from within their maritime boundary. Fifteen among them are now detained in Parthapratim Police Station and the nine others are in India’s jail.”

Efforts to bring them back home are ongoing, he added.

The Coast guard and the Navy have rescued over 150 fishermen so far with nearly another hundred still missing.