Five Indian sailors return home after 14 months in Greek jail

Five Indians, who spent over 14 months in a Greek jail after their cargo ship was detained on charges of carrying explosive material on board, arrived in Mumbai Sunday morning.

MV Andromeda was detained by the Greek Coast Guard on January 9, 2018.

Although it was established that the cargo in question was only a raw material for firecrackers, the crew of the ship had to languish in jail for over a year.

The ship had set sail from Turkey on January 6, 2018 and was headed for Djibouti when it was diverted to the Greek coast for repairs and later, detained by the coast guard.

"The explosive material was legal. Local authorities did not go through the documents which the Greek ship owner had," Bhupendra Singh, one of the Indian crew members who returned home Sunday, told the media here.

"We were given consular access and they (the Indian embassy staff) were very supportive and were present at every hearing," said Singh, a native of Gurudaspur in Punjab, adding that they were not subjected to physical torture in any form.

Singh, however, said he had to undergo mental agony "especially when beef was served frequently."