5 sailors including one from Chennai stranded in Iran seek Prime Minister’s help

MUMBAI: In a heart-wrenching development, five Indian sailors — stranded in Iran for 18 months — have appealed for help to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar, to return home.

Harbouring dreams of a better future for themselves, the five youngsters -- all holding valid qualifications and documents -had flown to Iran to join merchant navy ships in 2019, through an Indian agent. They are: Aniket S Yenpure, 29 and Mandar M Worlikar, 26, (both Mumbai), Pranav A Tiwari, 21, (Patna), Naveen M Singh (New Delhi), and Thamizh R Selvan, 31, (Chennai).

However, while sailing on the high seas off Oman in February 2020, the five were unknowingly trapped in a treacherous maritime narcotics smuggling racket, leading to their arrest, jail and even after being acquitted in the case, they are still grounded in a foreign land for 18 months.

In India, their frantic family members have written several letters to the Prime Minister, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Iranian authorities there and in India, the Indian diplomats stationed in Iran for intervention, but to no avail.

During interrogation, Capt Gharebi admitted that “the Indian crewmen were innocent and had no knowledge of the illicit cargo transfer operation” which he master-minded in the high seas. Now, the Mumbai boys’ families plan to meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray seeking their good offices with the Centre to help release of sailors.