PUDUKKOTTAI: As many as 27 fishermen of Pudukkottai were arrested by Sri Lankan Navy and their six boats were also confiscated. Later, the arrested men and their boats were released early on Thursday morning after brief interrogation.
According to fisheries department officials, about 350 mechanised boats and 1,300 fishermen ventured into sea on Wednesday morning from Jegathapattinam. It is said that a total of 27 fishermen of Jegathapattinam were involved in deep sea fishing in six mechanised boats at Naina Theevu and Neduntheevu areas in Sri Lankan waters.
A Sri Lankan navy patrol team that arrived there, detained and took them to Karainagar base. Later, they were handed over to officials of the Sri Lankan inland fisheries department during the late hours of Wednesday. However, to their surprise, the arrested men were freed by Sri Lankan authorities after verifying their licence and boat documents.
The released fishermen reached Jegathapattinam jetty around 3.30 pm on Thursday. As news spread about the release, relatives and residents of Jegathapattinam gathered on the shore in large numbers to welcome them.