CHENNAI: 13 fishermen Tamil Nadu who were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy for allegedly fishing outside the approved boundaries, returned home to India on Thursday after being handed over by the Indian Embassy in Colombo.

The group of fishermen were arrested on February 26, and were produced in Mallakam court in Sri Lanka, kept imprisoned for nearly a month. Additionally, three fishermen were also admitted to a government hospital in Sri Lanka due to sustaining injuries.

The Sri Lankan court had reportedly released the 13 fishermen on 12th March after talks between the two sides.

Flights tickets from Colombo (Sri Lanka's capital) to Chennai were arranged for the fishermen, sending them to India after issuing temporary passports to them.

After arriving at the Chennai airport, all the fishermen were brought out after completing all checks like citizenship check and customs check.

Notably, one fisherman, who was hit on the leg earlier, was picked up early and taken to a private hospital in Chennai for treatment. While the remaining 12 fishermen were brought out. Officials of the Department from the Karaikal area welcomed them and took them to the Karaikal area in a separate vehicle.