Somalian pirates arrest: 8 of 35 Somalian nationals booked claim to be minors

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In an operation which lasted over 40 hours, the Indian Navy took the 35 Somalian nationals into custody, while rescuing the 17 crew members.

Among the 35 Somalian nationals arrested by the Mumbai Police on Saturday for allegedly hijacking a merchant vessel, eight have claimed to be minors. The Yellow Gate police produced 34 accused before a holiday court Sunday.

While one man has been admitted to Sir J J Hospital for medical treatment, the rest were brought before the court, where the police sought their custody for interrogation.

The court sent the 26 men into police custody till April 2. Also present in court was a Somalian national, who is currently studying in Pune, to act as a translator to communicate between the men and the court, arranged by the Embassy of Somalia.

When the court asked those booked their age, eight of them said their ages were lower than 18.

The court directed them to be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).

A person’s age if they claim to be a minor is determined through documentary evidence or ossification test if required. The eight will be housed in an observation home for minors till their ages can be confirmed.

The Yellow Gate police sought custody of the remaining 26 men for interrogation. The 35 were apprehended by the Indian Navy last week during an anti-piracy operation.

The police, while seeking their custody through special public prosecutor Iqbal Solkar, submitted that a cargo ship from Bulgaria, MV Ruen, was hijacked by the men using guns, on December 14, 2023. He added that the crew members were then abducted and a demand of 60 million US dollars was made to free them from the owner of the ship.

In an operation which lasted over 40 hours, the Indian Navy took the 35 Somalian nationals into custody, while rescuing the 17 crew members.

While seeking their custody, the police also submitted that they needed an opportunity to ascertain their roles, including those negotiating with the owner of the ship and those who had held the crew hostages and used them as human shields.

Lawyer Vishwajit Singh, appearing for the men on behalf of the Embassy of Somalia, submitted that most of them were labourers and were innocent. He further submitted that the ship has already been released to its owner and the police can take the statements of the men.

Special Judge A M Patil said that interrogation of the accused persons to know their exact role in the alleged criminal activities. The court granted their custody till April 2.

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