THREE Indian fishermen from Bahrain, who were held in custody for a month after allegedly straying into Qatari waters, arrived safely in Bahrain yesterday.

They were arrested on October 5 and had been detained by coastguard authorities, while an investigation was carried out.

The men were released on Wednesday after their Bahraini sponsor paid a combined total of BD3,000 to the Qatari authorities for their release. Their plight only came to light when a relative complained to the Indian Embassy two weeks ago after the fishermen did not come home for several days. Among those arrested were E V Ebrahim, 49, Keshu Rajan, 25, and a 28-year-old, known only as Johnson.

"I went to Qatar on Tuesday, finished the paper work and paid BD3,000 to the authorities for their release," the men's sponsor Abdul Ghani told the GDN.

Twelve other fishermen were arrested on September 28, but no other details are known and their plight remains a mystery.

The GDN reported in August that the Qatari coastguard seized eight Bahrain-registered dhows after they strayed into its territor a combined release fee of BD17,000. The owners were given an ultimatum - either pay the fee or face their fishermen standing trial. However, not all could afford to pay BD5,000 per vessel.