Udupi: Eight fishermen have gone missing from deep sea along with their  boat. They had ventured into the sea in the boar Suvarna Thribuja at 11 pm on December 13, from Malpe port.

The missing are boat owner Chandrasekhar, 40 of Badanidiyur; Lakshman, 45, Sathish 35, Harish, 28, Ramesh, 30, and Ravi, 27, of Honnavar.

They wer said to be in touch with another boat whcih ventrued with them till they reached Goa on December 17, after which the contac was lost. Nithyananth Kotian, a companion who had ventured in another baot tried to get in touch with them, but in vain. On December 22, Kotian filed a complaint with Malpe police.

Depatment of fisheries and Malpe police intimated Coast Guard in Mangaluru and they have contacted teir counterparts in Goa and have been assured all support in the search for the missing baot. Though the search operation is on, there is no information yet, said Parshwanath, deputy driector, department of fisheries.

This is the first time a boat is missing from Malpe port. It the boat had sunk, there would have been stain of diesel in the water or the debris of the boat floating around somewhere. But since there is no such development, we suspect that pirates may have hijacked the boat and are holding its crew hostage, siad Satish Kunder, president, Malpe Fishermen's Assocation.