Tuesday July 7, 2026
The men face charges including kidnapping, abducting for ransom, criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, among other charges. (PTI File photo)
Mumbai (HOL) — Forty-three Somali men accused in two separate piracy cases have pleaded guilty before a Mumbai court after allegedly hijacking merchant vessels, holding crew members hostage and demanding ransom.
The men, arrested in 2024 and held in a Mumbai jail, told the special court that they had been in judicial custody for nearly two years and were facing severe hardship because of differences in language, culture, diet and lifestyle.
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They also said they had no family or friends in India to support or guide them.
In their pleas, the accused said their decision to plead guilty was voluntary. They said they understood that the court could impose the maximum punishment but requested leniency from the judiciary and the Indian government, saying it was their first offence.
“We are poor citizens of an ally country with good diplomatic relations with the Government of India,” the pleas said.
Nine of the men were arrested after an Indian Navy operation in March 2024 involving an Iranian fishing vessel with a 23-member Pakistani crew that had allegedly been hijacked.
In a separate operation the same month, the Indian Navy detained 35 suspected pirates accused of hijacking a merchant vessel. The men were later brought to Mumbai and arrested by Yellow Gate police.
Special public prosecutor Ranjeet Sangle confirmed that the pleas had been filed.
The court gave the accused time to reconsider their applications and adjourned the case until July 20. If the court accepts the pleas, it may sentence the men under the charges filed against them.
Although the men had been represented by a lawyer through the Somali Embassy, they told the court they did not currently have a lawyer. The court then directed that they be represented through the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System.
The accused face charges including kidnapping, abduction for ransom and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, as well as relevant provisions of India’s Maritime Anti-Piracy Act.
The court is expected to decide later whether to formally accept the guilty pleas and proceed to sentencing.
Source: Hiiraan Online
