Goa, April 24 -- In an episode that has left more questions than answers, four fishing vessels seized for allegedly operating in Goa's territorial waters quietly slipped out of official custody on Wednesday night - taking advantage of what appears to be a basic security lapse.

Hours earlier, the Department of Fisheries had detained 13 fishing vessels from Karnataka along with their catch and escorted them to the Panjim jetty after a high-sea interception. The boats were tied together with ropes and left docked under watch.

By morning, four of them were gone.

Officials believe crew members under the cover of darkness, loosened the ropes and simply sailed away - turning what was meant to be a show of enforcement into an embarrassment for...