Wednesday, July 8, 2026 {HMC} Forty-three Somali nationals accused of piracy have pleaded guilty to charges during their appearance in a court in Mumbai, India, and have also requested a reduced sentence.
The accused were among 44 people arrested by the Indian Navy in March 2024, following operations to rescue two ships, the MV Ruen and the Al-Kambar 786, which were reportedly hijacked and the crews were being held for ransom.
According to Indian authorities, the navy rescued the crew and handed them over to the Mumbai police for prosecution.
The Indian government has charged them with kidnapping for ransom, violations of the Anti-Piracy Act, Arms Act, Passport Act and Foreigners Act.
In their submissions to the court, the 43 accused said they had been in temporary detention for nearly two years and had faced hardships due to differences in language, culture, food and lifestyle, with no family or friends to support them.
They also said they had confessed to the crimes voluntarily and fully understood the charges against them, stating that they were not forced to do so.
The accused had asked the court to take into account their circumstances, saying this was the first time they had been accused of such an act and that they were poor people from a country with good diplomatic relations with India.
The court postponed the decision in the case, to give the defendants more time to reconsider their decision before formally accepting their plea or imposing a sentence.
