Indian police on Sunday arrested two security guards of an Italian oil tanker for allegedly killing two Indian fishermen off the coast of the southern state of Kerala Wednesday, an official said.

"We have taken into custody the two security guards from Entrica Lexie ship. Italy's Consul General Giampaolo Cutillo was present when the arrest took place, after brief interrogation by the police," he said, adding that the arrested would be slapped with murder charges.

The arrests came hours after the Indian External Ministry made it clear that the law of the country would take its own course in the killings of the two Indian fishermen.

"The law of the land will take its own course in the incident where the crew of an Italian ship Enrica Lexie fired at and killed two Indian fishermen (off Kollam coast in southern state of Kerala) ," Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna told the media in the southern city of Bangalore.

The minister refuted claims of Italian embassy officials that the fishermen on Indian vessel attacked the Italian ship in international waters.

The fishermen Ajesh Binki, 25, and Jalastein, 45, were killed on Feb. 15 off Kollam coast near Kerala when armed guards of the ship fired at their boat, suspecting it to be a vessel belonging to pirates.

Throughout the talks Italian authorities insisted that India could not take action against them as the incident took place in international waters.

However, Indian coast guard claimed the fishing boat was in Indian exclusive zone when it was fired upon and the nation has every right to book them under Indian laws.