During surveillance, Coast Guard ship Arnvesh last evening apprehended two Sri Lankan boats Manoj and Kalanputha-03, found to be fishing four nautical miles inside Indian waters.
"They were poaching in our waters. The boats, along with the 10 crew members, were escorted to Karaikal and handed over to Coastal Security Group (CSG) at Nagapattinam today," a Coast Guard official said.
The fishermen hailing from Neduntheevu in the Palk Strait were arrested last night, Nagapattinam Joint Director of Fisheries, Amala Xavier said.
The incident also triggered protests by local fishermen, with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami seeking Centre's intervention.
The Sri Lankan government, in its initial probe report, has ruled out its navy's involvement in the killing of the Indian fisherman.