Friday, April 5, 2013
MUMBAI: A naval officer, who is a witness in one of the cases involving Somali pirates, has identified all the 28 accused.
He was part of the rescue mission on Prantalaya 11, and also interrogated the pirates.
In February and March 2011, the navy caught the pirates after the coast guard alerted it about the hijacked vessels. The navy rounded up 120 pirates in several raids and rescued 70 hostages from Thailand, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Iran, Turkey, Myanmar and Pakistan.
The pirates hijacked ships like 'Vega 5' and 'Al-Murtuza' and held the crew hostage. The trials in all the cases are currently underway in court. The pirates have been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in addition to attempt to murder, unlawful assembly, criminal intimidation, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and for carrying weapons under the Indian Penal Code. They have been booked for waging a war against the Indian government