Indian Navy on Tuesday, April 3, brought nine pirates to Mumbai, which was caught off Somalia on March 29 during the anti-piracy operations. During this, Navy ships, INS Trishul and INS Sumedha, rescued FV Al Kambar and its crew of 23 Pakistani nationals.
The Mumbai police arrested nine pirates who were brought to India on Wednesday, days after the Navy caught them for hijacking an Iranian fishing vessel with 23 Pakistani crew members on board off the Somalia coast, an official told the news agency PTI.
The operation involved INS Sumedha and the guided missile frigate INS Trishul. "After the successful operation of the Indian Navy team, the pirates surrendered and the crew members were rescued. The pirates were then taken into custody by the Navy and after six days of journey, the pirates were brought to Mumbai," the official said.
During questioning of the crew members of the fishing vessel, it came to light that Somalian pirates were carrying AK-47 rifles, hand grenades and rocket launchers. The pirates threatened to kill crew members if they made any movement, he said. After rescuing the crew members and detaining the pirates, Indian Navy commandos inspected the fishing vessel and recovered 728 live rounds of AK-47 rifles, a GPS (global positioning system) device and eight mobile phones, he said.
The official said the Mumbai police registered a case against the pirates under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, the Passports Act, and the Foreigners Act and placed them under arrest.