Two months after the Stolt Valor hostage drama involving Indians, a ship has been hijacked by Somalian pirates who have taken three Indians captive after releasing Kenyan crew members.
A relative of one of the Indian sailors taken hostage said today that the ship M V Alpha Manyara was hijacked on January 9 near the coast of Kenya and the pirates were holding three Indians hostage after setting free eight Kenyan sailors.
"Among the 11-member crew, three were Indians and the rest were Kenyans. Only the Indians have been taken hostage," George, brother of sailor Palaswamy Sarvanan who hails from this coastal city, said.
"We were informed about the incident a day after the vessel was hijacked. After that, we have not heard from the company or the government. The company has declined to pay any ransom," he claimed.
Stolt Valor, owned by a Japanese company and carrying 18 Indian sailors, was released by the Somalian pirates after a huge ransom was paid by the owners on November 16.