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 (AX) — Nearly two years after Indian naval operations led to their arrest, 43 Somali men accused in two piracy cases have admitted guilt before a Mumbai court in proceedings tied to the alleged hijacking of merchant vessels, the detention of crew members and ransom demands.
The accused, who have been lodged in a Mumbai jail since their arrest in 2024, told the special court they had endured serious hardship during judicial custody, citing barriers of language, culture, food and daily living conditions.
They also said they had no family or friends in India to support or guide them.
The men stated in their applications that the guilty pleas were made of their own free will. While acknowledging that the court had the power to award the maximum sentence, they appealed for leniency from both the judiciary and the Indian government, describing the cases as 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 accused were taken into custody following an Indian Navy operation in March 2024 linked to an Iranian fishing vessel carrying a 23-member Pakistani crew, which authorities said had been hijacked.
That same month, in another naval operation, Indian forces detained 35 suspected pirates accused of seizing a merchant vessel. They were subsequently brought to Mumbai, where Yellow Gate police placed them under arrest.
Special public prosecutor Ranjeet Sangle confirmed that the court had received the guilty plea applications.
The court allowed the accused additional time to reconsider their decision and postponed the matter until July 20. Should the pleas be accepted, the men could be sentenced under the charges framed against them.
Though the Somali Embassy had earlier arranged legal representation for the accused, the men informed the court that they were currently without a lawyer. The court responded by ordering that they be represented through the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System.
The charges against the accused include kidnapping, abduction for ransom and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code, along with applicable sections of India’s Maritime Anti-Piracy Act.
The court is expected to rule at a later stage on whether the guilty pleas will be formally accepted before moving to sentencing.
