CHENNAI: Nineteen fishermen from Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram, who were released from Sri Lankan prison, landed at Chennai airport on Friday night.

The fishermen were received at the airport by the officials of the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department and sent to their hometowns in vehicles arranged by the government.

These fishermen had ventured into the sea on August 24. In the wee hours of the morning, the Sri Lankan Navy on patrol duty nabbed the fishermen and seized the fish and fishing nets, accusing them of crossing the maritime boundary and catching fish in Lankan waters.

The incident created a stir among fishermen, who alleged that the Sri Lankan Navy had arrested the fishermen who were fishing in the Indian waters and imprisoned them on false charges.

Following this, Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote an urgent letter to Union External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, asking him to ensure the immediate release of the arrested Tamil Nadu fishermen and their boats.

After the matter was taken up through diplomatic channels, the fishermen were released and sent by an Air India flight that arrived in Chennai from Colombo.