Seventy seven Tamil Nadu fishermen, who were released following the orders of the Sri Lankan government, were handed over to the Indian Coast Guard at the International Maritime Boundary Line today.
The fishermen reached Karaikal coast, from where they would travel to their respective destinations, Fisheries department Additional Director K T Gopinath said.
Prior to their departure, the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka provided them new clothes and other essential items, he said.
The fishermen from Nagapattinam, Pudukottai and Ramanthapuram districts were arrested by the Lankan Navy while fishing in their territorial waters between May 31, 2016 and July 15, 2016 and lodged in prisons in that country.
They were released on July 26.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi through a series of letters, urging him to take steps to secure their release.
