A court in Mumbai on Wednesday remanded eight alleged pirates, apprehended in March during an operation off the coast of Somalia, in judicial custody after their claims of being underage were found to be based on forged or unreliable documents.
In an operation lasting over 40 hours, the INS Kolkata intercepted pirate ship ex-MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea in March this year.
The pirates were handed over to the Mumbai police for further legal action in accordance with Indian laws.
The exercise was part of the ongoing Operation Sankalp, wherein Indian Navy ships are deployed in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the safety of seafarers and mercantile trade passing through the region.
The court had then remanded 27 accused in judicial custody, while eight accused were sent to a children's home at Dongri in South Mumbai.
In April, the court directed the Juvenile Justice Board to initiate an inquiry to ascertain the age of the accused.
During the JJB's enquiry, the counsel of the embassy of Somalia sent a letter to the board stating that conflicting documents were submitted by the diplomat of the embassy without the knowledge and consent of the embassy. -- PTI
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