Mumbai court convicts 15 Somali pirates in 2011 case

They have been found guilty of murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping.

A session court in Mumbai convicted 15 Somali pirates for 7 years of imprisonment in a 2011 case. The pirates had taken 22 people aboard a commercial ship from Thailand hostage. They have been found guilty of attempt to murder and kidnapping.

File photo for representation

This is one of the four cases registered in 2011 against a total of 120 Somali pirates, for holding 91 people from different countries hostage.

The sessions court pronounced the verdict in the first of the four cases, where the pirates’ mother vessel carrying heavy arms and ammunitions was intercepted in 2011, and the pirates were caught.

The coast guard and navy, in a joint operation, then rescued the 22 men being held hostage on the ship. The men were Thai nationals and the ship was called Prantalaya. They also captured the 15 Somali pirates who jumped into the sea and took them into custody.

The vessel had been captured by the pirates in 2010. They had been using it as their mother vessel since then.