Mumbai seaman back home after 14 months in Chabahar jail | India News – Times of India

MUMBAI: Angels do dwell on earth. Worli resident Aniket Yenpure (30) says so. The merchant navy employee is back home from Iran after over three years — of which he spent 14 months in jail in the foreign land after narcotics were seized on the vessel he worked. Despite the “traumatising” time behind bars, Aniket says he chooses to fondly cherish memories of how “angels” — a fellow Iranian inmate in jail, a local cop and others — helped him while in Chabahar jail and later hosted him at his home until he returned to India with four other Indians, including his cousin, on Friday. At the Mumbai airport, his wife and paternal uncle received him. Aniket’s father, who delivers milk, was too overwhelmed with emotion and waited at home to see his son after almost four years.
As Aniket got home at Worli koliwada, neighbours thronged to catch a glimpse of him, many curious about his days in Iran, especially time spent in prison.
Aniket joined MV Artin10 in 2019. On February 21, 2020, Aniket and four others were taken into custody after the Iranian navy intercepted their vessel and seized 1. 5 tonnes of morphine from a bag on board the vessel. This happened weeks before the Indians were slated to disembark and leave for India. The other four—all from lower-middle-class families — who also returned on Friday include Aniket’s cousin, Mandar Worlikar (28) who is also from Mumbai besides Pranav Tiwari (21) from Patna, Naveen Singh (23) from Delhi and Thamizh Selvan (31) from Chennai. The ship’s master, Captain M Rasool Gharebi, was among the others taken into custody. While the captain confessed to having brought the drug on board, the others were acquitted by a court in Iran.