Twenty-four fishermen from Tamil Nadu, India, who were taken into custody by the Maldives Coast Guard for allegedly crossing into Maldivian waters, have come back home after being released.

The fishermen, hailing from Tharuvaikulam fishing village in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, returned to India on Sunday after their journey from the Maldives, as reported by Indian media.

Indian news source NewsIT stated that the fishermen were freed due to interventions by the Tamil Nadu government. As per Indian media, the release followed the intervention of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Minister of the state.

The government of Tamil Nadu allegedly collaborated with India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian High Commission in the Maldives to facilitate the fishermen's release.

Indian media additionally revealed that the Tamil Nadu government paid for the fishermen's air travel costs. Officials greeted the group at Thiruvananthapuram airport before organizing their safe return to their families.

As reported by The Hindu, on October 1, the fishermen left Tharuvaikulam in three mechanised fishing vessels for a deep-sea fishing expedition. On October 13, Maldivian authorities apprehended the fishermen and the three boats after discovering them within the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone.

Previous accounts mentioned local fishermen claiming that the boats had been carried into Maldivian waters by strong winds and ocean currents.

When the report was published, Maldivian officials had not disclosed the fate of the fishermen or any information about the conditions of the three boats.

The apprehension of foreign fishing boats in Maldivian waters happens frequently. Over the years, vessels from nearby nations, especially India and Sri Lanka, have been detained for unlawfully entering the Maldives' Exclusive Economic Zone.