Released fishermen reach home

THOTHUKUDI: As many as 12 Kanyakumari fishermen who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard in Thoothukudi on Thursday.
On March 7, 62 fishermen, 31 from Thoothur and another 31 from Chinnathurai, were detained when they were fishing in the Indian coastal waters. The first batch of 50 fishermen were released by the Sri Lankan Navy on March 9.
The remaining 12 fishermen, released after 27 days in captivity, landed in Thoothukudi after they were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the midsea by the Sri Lankan naval authorities.
Fishermen returned to their homes in coastal hamlets Vallavilai, Eraimanthaurai Thoothur.
Though a Sri Lankan court had released them on March 24 after absolving them of charges of crossing the international maritime boundary line, it took another week for them to reach Indian shores, said Andrew, one of the fishermen who returned home after the ordeal.