CHENNAI: As many as 18 fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard were released and sent back to Chennai on an Air India flight on Monday night.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department welcomed the fishermen and arranged government vehicles for their return to their native villages.

On December 2, the Sri Lankan Guard apprehended 18 Indian fishermen and confiscated their mechanised fishing trawler, allegedly for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and poaching in Sri Lanka's territorial waters.

In response to this, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter urging Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to take immediate action for the release of the fishermen. Following this, Indian diplomats in Sri Lanka engaged in talks with Sri Lankan authorities.

A couple of days ago, the Sri Lankan court ordered the release of the 18 fishermen and handed them over to Indian consular officials. The consular officials took the fishermen into their custody and issued emergency certificates for their return, as they did not have passports with them.

(With inputs from Bureau)