41 Tamil Nadu fishermen held by Lanka return home

Forty-one Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by Sri Lankan Navy on charges of crossing the International Boundary Line, arrive in India after a court in the island nation ordered their release few days back.

Forty-one Tamil Nadu fishermen, arrested by Sri Lankan Navy on charges of crossing the International Boundary Line, arrived here on Saturday, after a court in the island nation ordered their release few days back.

Twenty-one fishermen were arrested on July 5 and the rest on August 5.

A court in Mannar had on September 25 ordered their release.

The Navy officials handed over the fishermen at the International Boundary Line to Indian Coast Guard, who brought them to the shore.

The court, however, declared as the property of the Sri Lankan government the five fishing boats seized by the navy during their arrest, official sources said.