Indian fisherman's body to be repatriated from Bahrain

The body of an Indian fisherman who was shot dead on-board a vessel by armed pirates off the coast of Bahrain will be repatriated soon after completion of formalities, a media report said.

Thomas Glattus Soosai, 47, who was captaining the Bahraini dhow, was shot by masked gunmen who boarded the vessel northwest of Bahrain's sea border May 22, Gulf Daily News reported Tuesday.

The Indian embassy in Bahrain has been awaiting confirmation from Soosai's family in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and approval from the state authorities.

It is also awaiting clearance from the sponsor of his brother, Keesmash Suthan, a fisherman who is set to accompany the body home, Gulf Daily News quoted Ram Singh, first secretary in Indian embassy, as saying Tuesday.

The embassy has been paying for the repatriation, as Soosai did not have a contract with his employer.

Therefore, Soosai's family was unlikely to be compensated.

Soosai's family, comprising his wife and three sons, live in a village in Tamil Nadu.

The six other Indian crew members were forced to go below deck at gunpoint as the pirates looted the vessel.

The surviving crew members managed to sail back into Bahrain waters, where they were rescued by the Bahrain Coast Guard six nautical miles east of Shaikh Khalifa Port.