Indian Navy rescues 19 Pakistani sailors kidnapped by pirates in Arabian Sea

Naval warship INS Sumitra saved two ships from pirates in 24 hours. INS Sumitra, deployed in anti-piracy operation, received a call for help. There were 19 Pakistanis in this fishing vessel. Pirates had taken them hostage. Navy rescued Pakistani hostages safely. In the last 24 hours, INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistanis and 17 Iranians from pirates.

The first incident is from the Arabian Sea. The pirates took the Iranian-flagged ship and its crew members hostage here.

After this, the Indian Navy sent its warship INS Sumitra and evacuated everyone safely. The Indian Navy issued a statement saying that on January 29, it launched an operation to rescue Al-Naimi. All 19 crew members aboard are Pakistani citizens.

Indian Navy's indigenous patrol ship INS Sumitra has been deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the East of Somalia and Gulf of Aden. On 28 January, the warship responded to a distress call regarding the hijacking of the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel (FV) Iman, on which pirates and crew were taken hostage. The FV was intercepted by INS Sumitra following SOPs and the ship and its crew (17 Iranian nationals) were safely rescued on 29 January. FV Iman was cleared and sent onward.

INS Sumitra, through swift, sustained and tireless efforts, in less than 36 hours, rescued two hijacked fishing vessels with 36 crew (17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani) in the Southern Arabian Sea about 850 NM west of Kochi. These fishing vessels are used as mother ships for further acts of piracy on merchant ships.

The Indian Navy has once again proved its commitment in the region to take action against all maritime threats to ensure the safety of all seafarers and ships at sea.