Paradip, July 2: The state government has dropped criminal proceedings against four Sri Lankan fishermen who were arrested from Paradip coast on April 30. They will be repatriated to their country within a week.

“They have been released from jail. They have also been given temporary accommodation at a government-run guesthouse in Jagatsinghpur,” said district police superintendent Satyabrata Bhoi.

The repatriation process was set in motion following intervention of the Union home and external affairs ministry. The Sri Lanka government has also ordered release of Indian fishermen who unlawfully entered into their territory. To reciprocate the goodwill gesture of Sri Lanka, the Indian government has decided to release the four fishermen, said another official source.

Coast Guard patrol ship Bajra had spotted the trespassing foreign vessel during a routine coastal security drill and had intercepted it about 169 nautical miles off Paradip coast.

The vessel was fitted with global positioning system (GPS) and gadgets for long-range communication.

The boat, with five crews, was spotted fishing in the Indian coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal close to the sea border of Bangladesh. The vessel master was arrested under Section 10 of the Maritime Zone of India (regulation of fishing by foreign vessels) Act, 1981, and was sent to jail custody. The other four Sri Lankans, however, were not charged with commission of any offence.

The vessel master has now been released by court after charges were dropped against him, said Bhoi.