Big catch: Indian Navy nabs Somali pirates

Mumbai, Mar 29: Sixteen Somali pirates caught by Indian Navy after it foiled an attack on a foreign merchant vessel were today brought to Mumbai, Navy sources said.

"The 16 Somali pirates and the 16 hostages-12 Iranians and four Pakistanis- were brought to Mumbai this morning in INS Suvarna," the source added.

Indian Navy had on Saturday rescued 16 crew members of a hijacked vessel called Morteza after a three-hour-long operation against the Somali pirates, who were trying to capture another ship MV Maersk Kensington, west of the Lakshadweep Islands.

The pirates would be handed over to the Mumbai police at Yellow Gate police station here for further action later today, the source added.

It was the second pirate attack thwarted by the Navy and Coast Guard in the Arabian sea in a fortnight. They have been maintaining surveillance off the Lakshadweep islands over the several months as part of ''Operation Island Watch''.

On Mar 13, the Indian Navy had foiled pirates' attack and apprehended a pirate mother ship rescuing 13 crew members and caught 61 Somali sea brigands about 600 nautical miles off the western coast in the Arabian Sea.

PTI