Twelve of the 22 Indian diamond traders, detained in China on charges of smuggling, reached Mumbai airport late last night after they were let off following deportation orders by a Chinese court.

It was an emotional scene at the airport as the traders were welcomed by their families and friends with sweets and gifts.

Twenty two traders, hailing mostly from Gujarat and Mumbai, were arrested in southern China's Shenzhen city in 2010 and were charged with smuggling diamonds worth 50 million Yuan or 7.3 million US Dollars. They were accused of sourcing diamonds illegally from Hong Kong for sale in the Chinese market.

On December 7 last year, the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court who heard the traders' case, found the 12 of them innocent and ordered their deportation.

The rest of the traders have been awarded varied prison terms ranging from six years to three and half years.