The Indian Navy has released pictures of 4 Somali pirates aboard the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, a hostage from the Indian Ocean. The picture shows the pirates patrolling the ship. All of whom have heavy weapons in their hands. They were seen on top of the ship.
The image was released by the Indian Navy spokesperson's X (formerly Twitter) account around 5pm on Friday (March 15).
According to X's post, an Indian warship and a long-range maritime patrol aircraft are stationed in the vicinity to assist the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, held hostage by Somali pirates.
The Indian Navy said in a statement on Friday that the Indian Navy deployed the Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft LRMP P-81 on Tuesday (March 12) after receiving information about the hijacking of the MV Abdullah.
Later the Indian Navy deployed a warship. The warship began monitoring the hostage vessel on Thursday (March 14). That morning the Indian warship successfully intercepted the Bangladeshi vessel MV Abdullah.
Later, the warship remained close to MV Abdullah until it reached Somalia's territorial waters to ensure the safety of the hijacked crew members (Bangladeshi nationals).
Meanwhile, the ship, anchored at Garaka off the coast of Somalia, was moved 45-50 nautical miles northward today and taken to Gadabjiran coast. The vessel is anchored 4 nautical miles off the Somali town of Gadabjiran.
On Friday (March 15) night, the Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association (BMMOA) informed about the latest location of MV Abdullah, owned by KSRM.
General Secretary of BMMOA. Shakhawat Hossain said, 'We have received this information from reliable sources, who are tracking the location of the ship.'
Earlier on Friday (March 15) around 3:30, the anchor of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah was removed by the pirates, Chief Officer Captain Md. Atiq Ullah Khan.
He said that the ship was being taken to a new location convenient for the bandits. He gave this message to the owner of the ship in an e-mail.
It said the ship was anchored off the coast of Somalia on Thursday in Garaka. After a one-day break, 'MV Abdullah' started running again. On Friday morning, the anchor was dropped at the command of the pirates. The pirates then ordered the ship to sail. The ship is currently proceeding northward from the Garakat coast.
In December 2010, the Bangladeshi ship Jahan Mani was captured by Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. At that time, 25 sailors and the wife of the chief engineer of the ship were taken hostage. After various attempts, they were freed from the pirates in 100 days.