Wednesday July 22, 2026
India has handed life sentences to 44 Somali nationals convicted of piracy after two dramatic vessel hijackings off the coast of Somalia.
A special court in Mumbai sentenced the defendants to life in prison for offences linked to the seizure of ships and the hostage-taking of crew members.
The cases stemmed from separate attacks on a bulk carrier and a fishing vessel. Indian Navy ships rescued the crews and detained the attackers in 2024 after the hijackings.
During the trial, all 44 Somali defendants admitted their guilt, according to judgments issued in the two cases by the Mumbai special court on Monday.
“The act of piracy on high sea by hijacking a vessel and keeping crew members hostage for ransom by attempting to kill them and to keep them as human shield are very serious things which cannot be taken casually,” judge SB Dige said.
Held in custody since 2024
Thirty-five pirates were involved in the first attack, in December 2023, when the Maltese-flagged bulk carrier MV Ruen was hijacked. In March 2024, another nine seized the Iranian-flagged fishing ship Al Kambar.
Local media reported that the men, detained at Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail since 2024, were in court when the life terms were pronounced.
They had asked the court to return them to Somalia, where they sought to face legal proceedings.
India has maintained a naval deployment off Somalia since 2008. It intensified its anti-piracy operations in 2023 after attacks increased, including incidents in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea.
