4 fishermen freed by Sri Lankan Coast Guard reach Chennai

CHENNAI: The four Tamil Nadu fishermen arrested by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard returned to the capital city on Thursday after continuous efforts to be released.

The four fishermen from Rameshwaram ventured into the sea on July 28. While they were fishing in the middle of the sea, they were surrounded by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard, who seized their boats and arrested all four of them for crossing the border. After the incident, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin requested the union government to intervene and take steps for the fishermen's release.

With the help of the Indian embassy in Sri Lanka, all four were released from prison a few days back and handed over to Indian officials. The officers arranged the travel documents for them, and they arrived at the Chennai airport on an Air India flight from Colombo on Thursday morning. The officials from the fisheries department welcomed the fishermen at the airport and arranged transport to their native villages.