24 fishermen from Tamil Nadu held by Maldives Coast Guard return home

THOOTHUKUDI: Twenty-four fishermen, who ventured into the sea for deep sea fishing from Tharuvaikulam in Thoothukudi district and detained by the Maldivian Coast Guard last month, arrived in India on Sunday. A total of 26 fishermen ventured into the sea for deep sea fishing from Tharuvaikulam coast. They were detained by the Maldivian Coast Guard on October 13, 2026 for allegedly entering the territorial waters of the island nation in the Indian ocean. The three fishing boats were identified as A. Nicson, A.

Aron and Advin. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay wrote to Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar, urging his intervention to secure the release of the detained fishermen. Of the 24 released fishermen, nine were from boat A.

Nicson, seven from A. Aron and eight from Advin. They were received by officials of the Fisheries Department at Thiruvananthapuram and later sent to their hometowns. The detained fishermen hailed from different districts including Thoothukudi, Ramanathapuram and Villupuram.