A group of Cedros fishermen were attacked by pirates while out on sea Thursday.
One of the fishermen was also briefly abducted during the incident.
Around 6am Thursday, boat captain Sanjay Mahase, 48 and fishermen Rajesh Mahase, 49, Sunil Mahase, 26, Ramnarine Mahase, 68, Gildhary Maharaj, Ram Chadia and Darren Ramdeen, all of Fullerton Village, went out to sea on two separate 20-foot pirogues.
The men said they were fishing approximately three-quarters of a mile off the Icacos coast, approximately two miles east of Soldado Rock, when a white unknown vessel with a 200HP Yamaha boat engine and six men approached them.
The boat captain reported that one of the six men was of East Indian descent, while the others appeared to be Venezuelan.
All armed with firearms, they approached the two pirogues which were tied alongside a Heritage vessel, and announced a robbery.
Reports state that all the Cedros fishermen except Ramdeen jumped off their vessels and escaped onto the Heritage vessel.
However, Ramdeen’s pirogue named ‘Alecto’ and 75HP engine valued at $75,000 along with the other pirogue and a 75HP Yamaha boat engine also valued at $75,000 were stolen.
Ramdeen was taken away by the men with the vessels.
The five fishermen were rescued and brought to the Heritage base in vessel Alto 3 by Captain Neil Sandy, deckhands Cindy Hazard and Keon Baptiste, and Engineer Leandro Primus.
Hours later, Ramdeen returned to shore in his vessel and he checked in with the Cedros Police.
Cedros police are continuing investigations.