The Indian coast guard seized a Malaysian trawler with 32 crew members, mainly Thai, for fishing in the Bay of Bengal without a permit, local officials said Tuesday.

The vessel was spotted early Monday in Indian territorial waters, about 170 kilometres south of West Bengal's capital Kolkata, the state's police chief said.

"The captain of the trawler is Malaysian while the others are of Thai origin. They had no fishing permit," Raj Kanojia told AFP .

The crew tried to escape after being challenged and they were arrested after a long chase and handed over to the police, a coast guard official said.