Chennai, Oct 5 (IANS): Nine fishermen from Tamil Nadu's Nagercoil, who were in an Iranian jail for the past 19 months, have been brought back to Chennai.

The fishermen - Albert Ravi, Dynas, Godwin Jon Weldon, Arockia Ligin, joseph Beski, Jesudas, Sahaya Vijay, Michael Adimai, and Wellington - were working for a Kuwait-based fishing group and while fishing, had been arrested by the Iranian Coast Guard for entering its territorial waters.

The fishermen had started from Fahaheel in Kuwait in three boats in the morning and were caught by the Iranian Coast Guard by evening.

"It has been 19 months that my brother is in an Iranian jail. We thank the Indian government and the Tamil Nadu government for having taken extra efforts to bring them back to India. They had gone to Kuwait for a better living... Anyway, we are thankful to God that they are back to our country," Mary Mariam, a relative of one of the fishermen, told IANS from Nagercoil.