Thiruvananthapuram: Nineteen Indian fishermen who had spent more than a month in custody in Seychelles reached home on Wednesday.
The fishermen belonged to Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Out of the 19, eight belong to Poovar village in Kerala while others are from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
After arriving at Kochi International Airport, the fishermen were taken to Thiruvananthapuram by a special bus organized by the district administration.
"It is an operation which was whole heartedly taken as a duty towards the mother country by the officials in the High Commission of the Republic of Seychelles," said Thiruvananthapuram MLA Jameela Prakasam.
Barring two captains, the Seychelles Island Coast Guard (SICG) released 19 fishermen hailing from the two southern states.
Two captains of the boat that set off from Kochi on January 15 are still in custody in Seychelles and efforts are on to get their release.
The issue of fishermen, who were caught by Seychelles authorities for allegedly crossing International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) on January 28, was also taken up with the Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.
