Pakistan on Thursday arrested at least 40 Indian fishermen for allegedly straying into its waters while on a routine fishing trip, a news channel reported.

The fishermen, arrested by the Maritime Security Agency, were taken to Karachi for further investigation, Dunya News reported.

The fishermen would be booked for illegally entering Pakistani waters, the report said.

Pakistan and India routinely round up fishermen who inadvertently cross the unmarked maritime boundary in the Arabian Sea.

Last month, Pakistan arrested 58 Indian fishermen on a charge of violating the maritime boundary.

Authorities also confiscated their nine boats. Pakistan released 337 Indian fishermen from a jail in Karachi in August as a goodwill gesture.

The latest arrests were made at a time when the two countries are trying to contain the worst border clashes in recent years along the Line of Control and the international border.