Three Pakistani fishermen were killed and one injured when Indian naval vessels opened fire on a Pakistani boat at around 3.30 am Monday night/Tuesday morning in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Jamnagar in Gujarat.

Naval warships opened fire after the boat failed to stop despite repeated warnings and firing of flares at about 3.30 PM last night, a Navy spokesperson said.

He said the boat was spotted in suspicious circumstances, approximately ten nautical miles off the Gujarat coast. One member of the crew died on the spot; two others succumbed later to injuries sustained in the firing.

Five Pakistani fishermen have been arrested and are now in the custody of the Gujarat police, District Superintendent of Police (Jamnagar) Manoj Shashidhar said.

Of those arrested, only the master of the boat had valid papers, the Navy spokesperson added.

The Naval spokesman said the boat was seized and only the master of the vessel among the crew of six members had valid papers.

The boat was brought to the nearest harbour, Okha, early this morning and handed over to civil authorities. Investigations are reportedly on.