Togo: A month on, Capt James yet to hear from Indian authorities

, Sept 4:

Sunil James,38, of the Indian merchant ship MV Ocean Centurian, is yet to hear from the Indian government about his and the other crew members' release. Captain James was detained on July 31 by the Togo police on grounds of conspiring with pirates.

Salman Kurshid, External Affairs Minister said that the Indian government was constantly in touch with the Togo officials and has assured that necessary actions will be taken as early as possible.

A month later, James and the crew members have not been released and this has raised concerns, with the family members making an appeal to the government.

MV Ocean Centurian was attacked by a group of pirates on July 16 near Lagos. According to reports, 30-35 pirates had boarded the merchant ship dressed in Naval commando uniform. The captain and the crew were held captive for over a day and were then released by the pirates.

Capt James was detained on July 31 by Togo officials

After this, James docked the ship at Lome, Togo's capital for further investigation on July 31. When he disembarked from the ship and went to report the incident to the authorities, he was detained by them on the grounds of conspiracy with the pirates. Ever since, he has been held captive with two other crew members.

OneIndia News