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Ten sailors released from an Iranian jail reached their native places in Gujarat and have been reunited with their family members.
The ten released sailors are Captain Ali Aamad T Madiar, Umar Hussain Thaim, Palin Suleman Madiar, Kasam Mama Karani, Ibrahim Umar Juneja, Siddique Adam Madiar, Hussain Abdul Hamid, Mausin Darun Ruknali, Aasif Mamad Madiar and Aamada Kasam Andhar.
"We thank Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and independent Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani for making efforts to ensure our release, after languishing in jail in Iran, for the last five months," Captain Ali Aamad Madiar told PTI today.
The development comes after Nathwani requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 15 to help secure the release of the ten Indian sailors languishing in an Iranian jail since May 23.
"We belong to Mandvi taluka of Kutch district in Gujarat and we were detained by Iran Marine Security Agency on May 23 when our ship 'Al Hudd' was seized after straying into Iran's territorial waters," Madiar said.
He said that the ship was on its way to Oman from Dubai, when the Iranian security agency alleged that the ship had violated the international maritime boundary.
"We were put behind bars after the Iranian security agency seized our ship," he said.
The Iranian agency had also charged the ship which was owned by a Dubai-based businessman Ali Suleman Abdul Raheman.
"We were produced in a local court in Iran, where a fine of Rs 41 lakh was imposed on the ship owner. Besides, each sailor was ordered to pay a Rs 19,800 fine," he said.
The sailors were not allowed by Iranian jail authorities to make international calls and it became for them to convey the news of their detention to their family members in Gujarat, he said. Also, Iranian jail authorities knew only Persian and no other language.