FIFTEEN fishermen from Bahrain have been held in custody for up to a month after allegedly straying into Qatari waters, it emerged yesterday.

Three of the victims were arrested on October 5, and are being detained by coastguard authorities, while an investigation is carried out.

Their plight only came to light when a relative complained to the Indian Embassy after the fishermen did not come home for several days.

Among those arrested were E V Ebrahim, 49, and Salamu, 45, who have reportedly been told they will only be released if they pay a fee of BD5,000 each.

The men's sponsor Abdul Ghani was reluctant to discuss the plight of his workers in case it harmed their case.

"I can confirm that three of my fishermen have been jailed in Qatar for entering their territorial waters," he said.

Mr Ebrahim's brother Mohammed said he was very concerned about the health of his relative.

"I don't know how he is surviving there and if he was getting food or not," he said.

"His family, especially his wife Safiya, is calling and asking about him and I am unable to tell her what is happening.

"He has three children, a daughter, Tansira, two sons, Shaukat and Harshad."

Twelve other fishermen were arrested on September 28, but no details were available.

The Indian Embassy in Doha was unavailable for comment, while Fishermen's Protection Society and the Interior Ministry said they would look into the arrests.

The GDN reported in August that the Qatari coastguard seized eight Bahrain-registered dhows after they strayed into its territorial waters.

Three were released after their owners paid a combined fee of BD17,000.

The owners were given an ultimatum - either pay the fee or face their fishermen standing trial.

However, not all could afford to pay BD5,000 per vessel.

A Bahraini was also killed when his fishing boat overturned after being rammed by a Qatari coastguard patrol on June 5.

Mohammed Abdulwahab Hayan's body was found floating in the sea off Qatari coast, three days after his boat capsized as he tried to outrun the Qatari authorities.

Four other Bahraini crew members were released two days later.

Fishermen's Protection Society honorary president Waheed Al Dossary at the time blamed the incident on Bahrain's declining fish stocks, saying fishermen were being forced to break the law.

The society said land reclamation was responsible for a massive reduction in the quantity of fish in Bahrain's waters.

However, authorities responded by claiming it was due to over-fishing.

aneeqa@gdn.com.bh