Bhatkal: Seven out of 18 fishermen from Bhatkal, who were in the custody of the police in Iran for over four months, for violating the seas, have been released. They returned home on Wednesday.
Khaleel Panipadu of Bhatkal, Yakub Shamali, Ajmal Shamali, Inayat Shamali, Ilyas Ambadi, Ilyas Bharu and Kashim Agarkon of Kumta arrived here on Wednesday and returned to their natives.
They arrived in Mangaluru on a flight from Dubai and travelled to Bhatkal by road.
Addressing reporters, Panipadu said they had lost hopes of returning home and expressed happiness over being released. “We will find employment in India and sustain our families,” he said adding that the other fishermen would return home in the next two or three days.