A Mumbai court remanded the 35 Somalian pirates apprehended by the Indian Navy to 10 days of police custody on Sunday. The pirates were nabbed by INS Kolkata off Somalia coast.
Indian Navy’s warship INS Kolkata nabbed the pirates after a 40-hour long operation that commenced on March 15. According to the Indian Navy, INS Kolkata intercepted pirate ship ex-MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea, a cargo vessel which was being used as mother ship to undertake piracy. The Navy rescued 17 crew members from the pirate ship.
“Through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 pirates to surrender and ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members,” the Indian Navy had tweeted. “#INSKolkata had carried out the interception of the Pirate Ship Ruen almost 1400 nm (2600km) from the Indian Coast, and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions which were augmented by #INSSubhadra, HALE RPA, P8I maritime patrol aircraft and #MARCOS PRAHARs air-dropped by C-17 aircraft. The vessel has also been sanitised for the presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband,” it added.
The INS Kolkata intercepted pirate ship ex-MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea based on inputs received by Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre -Indian Ocean Region from UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations). The warship, carrying 35 pirates reached Mumbai on Saturday and Indian Navy handed over the pirates to Mumbai police.
-with agency inputs.
