An Indian court has sentenced 44 Somali nationals to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to carrying out two separate piracy attacks in which commercial vessels were hijacked off the Horn of Africa and crew members were held hostage while ransom demands were made.
The sentences were handed down by a special court in Mumbai after all the accused admitted their involvement in the attacks and accepted responsibility for the offences. The court ruled that the crimes were serious and said the attacks posed a threat to maritime security and the safety of people working at sea.
The men had been captured by the Indian Navy during separate rescue operations in March 2024, when piracy attacks had increased in the Arabian Sea and nearby waters.
During the court proceedings, the accused confirmed that they had decided to plead guilty voluntarily despite knowing that Indian law allowed the court to impose the maximum punishment for the offences. They also appealed to the court for mercy, saying they had never been convicted of any crime before and asking both the judiciary and the Indian government to consider reducing their punishment.
In their applications before the court, the Somali nationals said they came from a country that maintains diplomatic relations with India and requested the court to take their personal circumstances into account while deciding the sentence.
“We are poor citizens of an ally country with good diplomatic relations with the Government of India,” the accused told the court in their plea for leniency.
The group also informed the court that they had remained in judicial custody for nearly two years following their arrests in March 2024. They said life in India had been difficult because they did not understand the local languages, making communication challenging throughout their detention. They also told the court that they had struggled to adjust to the country’s culture, food, and way of life while remaining in custody.
The accused further said they had no relatives or friends living in India who could visit them or provide any form of support during the legal process. They urged the court to consider these challenges while deciding their punishment.
The prosecution against the Somali nationals arose from two separate anti‑piracy operations carried out by the Indian Navy in March 2024 following reports that commercial vessels had been seized by armed pirates in the Arabian Sea.
In the first operation, Indian naval forces intercepted an Iranian fishing vessel that had allegedly been hijacked by pirates. The vessel was carrying 23 Pakistani crew members who had reportedly been taken hostage after the ship was seized. During the rescue mission, the Indian Navy arrested nine of the accused after securing the release of the crew members.
Later that month, the Indian Navy carried out another operation after receiving information about the hijacking of a merchant vessel in the same region. Naval personnel intercepted the ship, rescued those on board, and detained 35 suspected pirates during the mission. The suspects were later transferred to Mumbai, where they were formally arrested by the Yellow Gate Police and presented before the court.
The accused were prosecuted under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including charges of kidnapping, abduction for ransom, and criminal conspiracy. They also faced charges under India’s Maritime Anti‑Piracy Act for their alleged involvement in hijacking commercial vessels and detaining crew members while demanding ransom payments.
During the hearing, Special Public Prosecutor Ranjeet Sangle confirmed before the court that all 44 accused had submitted guilty pleas in the two piracy cases. The court accepted the pleas before delivering its judgment, bringing to an end one of the largest piracy prosecutions arising from the resurgence of attacks in the Arabian Sea during 2024.
The convictions come as authorities continue efforts to strengthen maritime security in waters off the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Sea, where piracy incidents had declined for several years before increasing again in 2024, prompting naval forces from several countries to step up patrols and rescue operations to protect commercial shipping and the crews operating in the region.
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