Abu Dhabi: Four Indian fishermen, who were released from an Abu Dhabi jail, will fly back home on Friday whereas the fifth one is still in jail, a senior Indian official told Gulf News on Wednesday.
“The investigations into the case of the fifth fisherman [for allegedly trespassing into the UAE waters from Qatar] is not completed and we are still following it up with the judicial authorities,” said Dinesh Kumar, the first secretary and counsellor, community affairs, at the embassy.
As Gulf News reported on Sunday, the fishermen from south Indian state of Tamil Nadu were officially released from jail last week after the Indian Embassy paid the fines imposed on them by an Abu Dhabi court.
Kumar said on Wednesday that the embassy issued emergency certificates, as they did not have their passports and booked flight tickets for them to fly on Friday in coordination with jail authorities. “The jail authorities will deport them as per the procedures,” he said.
The five fishermen from Kanyakumari district were arrested by Abu Dhabi Coast Guard late in August for allegedly intruding into the UAE’s territorial waters during a fishing trip from Qatar. An Abu Dhabi court sentenced them to one-month imprisonment and a fine. Even after completing the one-month jail term, they remained in prison for not being able to pay the fine. The families of the men sought help of an Indian federal minister from their home state and he took it up with India’s external affairs minister, Sushma Swaraj. As directed by her, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi took the necessary action for their release.
The men were identified as Y. Jerald Regan, 31; his brother Y. Karol Jahin, 26; A. John Prabhahar, 40; G. Regan GEO Gladwin, 35; and S. Jose Stalin, 32. Jerald Regan is still in jail.
Abu Dhabi authorities were not immediately available for comments.
