Fishermen, held captive in Iran, pleads for release
Bhatkal: A WhatsApp post of 18 fishermen from Uttara Kannada and Udupi districts, appealing to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to free them from the Iranian captivity, is doing the rounds in the region.
The fishermen were arrested on charges of straying into the territorial waters of Iran, four months back. The video clip shows fishermen pleading the minister, “We have been with held captive in a boat. We are being harassed by Iranian authorities. Please, consider our plea seriously and free us from captivity.”
One of the fishermen, Usman Ishaque Bombaikar, a native of Tenginagundi in the taluk, has captured the plight of his tribesmen on his mobile phone and posted the clip to several WhatsApp groups. Bibi Ayeesha, the mother of Usman Bombaikar, poured out her woes to DH, “My son is the lone breadwinner of the family. He is suffering for no crime of his.”