Nine fishermen back home after three months in Bangladeshi prison

The nine fishermen from Visakhapatnam and neighbouring Vizianagaram district who were detained for three months in a Bangladeshi prison when their boat drifted into Bangladeshi waters were reunited with their families on February 2. After the fishermen were handed over at the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), local fishing boats that had sailed out to meet them at sea escorted them to the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour, where they were greeted with tears of joy and sighs of relief by their families.

The group formally met Visakhapatnam Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad at the Collectorate on Monday and expressed their gratitude to the State and Central governments for bringing them back safely.

Speaking to the media at the fishing harbour after stepping onto the pier, the fishermen shared their experiences of the past 100 days. “It was a difficult time,” said Marupalli Chinna Appanna from Relli Veedhi in Visakhapatnam city. Surada Appala Konda of Bhogapuram village in Vizianagaram who learned that he had become a father to a baby boy in December while in custody said: “We didn’t know when we would see our families again. We are lucky to be back on Indian soil.”

The fishermen said that being in a foreign jail was frightening, but were treated fairly. Fisherman Surapati Ramu thanked the Indian High Commission for providing them with essentials and warm clothing during winter.

“The release was part of a major reciprocal arrangement between India and Bangladesh. While Bangladesh freed 9 fishermen from Andhra (along with 14 from West Bengal), the Indian government repatriated 128 Bangladeshi fishermen who had been detained on similar crossings,” said fisherfolk association leader Dasu.

Local association leaders urged the government to provide better GPS and safety equipment to small fishing vessels to prevent such accidental crossings in the future.

Meanwhile, AP Fisheries Minister K. Atchannaidu said, “The State government is committed to the welfare of the fishermen and is according the utmost priority to rescuing them whenever they get into trouble in international waters.”

The fishermen, had set sail, on October 13, 2025. On October 21, their boat suffered an engine failure and they drifted into Bangladeshi territory, leading to their arrest by the Bangladesh Coast Guard.