In an unprecedented operation in India,Coast Guard and Navy personnel apprehended 15 pirates while they were allegedly trying to hijack a vessel 60 nautical miles off the Lakshadweep coast. On Monday,the Navy handed over the pirates to the Yellow Gate police for further action. Mumbai Police said they registered a case against the pirates for attempt to murder and various other sections of rioting under the Indian Penal Code and Foreigners Act for entering the Indian waters without permission. Quaiser Khalid,DCP (port zone),said the pirates fired at the Navy and Coast Guard ships when they intercepted their two speedboats. The pirates will be produced in court on Tuesday for custody hearing. Most of them were injured in the crossfire and are undergoing treatment at JJ Hospital. Due to this,the court granted us a day, said Khalid. The police have ascertained the nationalities of all pirates and respective embassies have been notified. Of the 15 arrested,one is a Kenyan,two Ethiopians and 12 are Somalis. We have also called for translators so we can begin questioning them, said Khalid. The police said the pirates were armed with 33 AK-47s and two big guns,believed to be rocket launchers. We were unable to recover anything from their ship Pratanalaya,which drowned in the crossfire, said Khalid. The police said along with the 15 pirates,they also caught 20 fishermen of Thai and Burmese origin,who were allegedly crew members of Pratanalaya before it was hijacked by the pirates in April 2010.
