Navy commandos rescue all 15 Indians from hijacked ship in Arabian Sea

Indian Navy commandos have rescued all 15 Indians from a hijacked ship in the Arabian Sea. All 21 crew aboard the ship (including 15 Indians) have been evacuated safely. After receiving information about the incident, warship INS Chennai was near the hijacked ship MV Leela Norfolk off the Somalia coast and the Indian Navy had warned the pirates to abandon the hijacked ship.

Military officials had said that the Indian crew on board the ship was safe and if the pirates did not obey, then the Marine Commandos were ready for Marcos operation.

The cargo ship 'MV Leela Norfolk' was hijacked off the coast of Somalia late yesterday evening. There were 15 Indians on board the ship.

A Navy spokesperson said the Indian Navy responded swiftly to the maritime incident in the Arabian Sea in which an attempt was made to hijack a Liberian-flagged ship. He said the ship had sent a message to the UKMTO portal, stating that about five to six unidentified armed men had boarded the ship.

As soon as the message was received from the ship, immediate action was taken. An Indian Navy official said that the Navy's maritime patrol aircraft flew over the ship and established contact with the ship, ensuring the safety of the crew.

The hijacking of cargo ship MV Leela Norfolk was reported on Thursday by UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a British military organisation. It monitors the movements of various ships in strategic waterways.

Last month, the Navy had deployed several warships in the sea following recent attacks on boats in the sea. This also included a drone attack off the coast of India, for which the United States blamed Iran.

The latest attack comes at a time when many ships have been diverted through the Red Sea. Here, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out drone and missile attacks in Gaza in solidarity with the Palestinians. Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza.

Last month, a drone strike hit the tanker MV Chem Pluto 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the Indian coast.