CHENNAI: As many as 25 Tamil Nadu fishermen who the Sri Lankan Coast Guard arrested returned to Chennai on Friday.

A group of 25 fishermen from Rameshwaram ventured into the sea on February 23. While they were in the middle of the sea the Sri Lankan Coast Guard surrounded them for crossing the border and seized their boats. All of them were arrested and remanded in judicial custody and sent to prison.

Following this, the families of the fishermen requested the government to take immediate steps to release them and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin requested the Central government to take action.

With the assistance of the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka, all 25 fishermen were released from prison and they were handed to the Indian officers a few days ago.

The officers arranged the travel documents for the fishermen and they arrived in Chennai on the Air India flight which reached the city on Friday night.

The officers from the fisheries department welcomed the fishermen at the airport and also arranged transport to their native villages.