19 Somali pirates, captured in various raids by the Indian Navy for hijacking ships, underwent age verification on Saturday and Monday. The Saturday test confirmed that the nine Somali pirates were adults while the report on 10 others is still awaited.
Vega 5 and Al-Murtuza fishing and cargo ships were hijacked last year by the Somali pirates. The hijackers were arrested and kept at Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. A total of 106 pirates in various raids by the Indian Navy were arrested while the security forces rescued 70 hostages, mostly crew members belonging to various countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Iran, Turkey, Myanmar and Pakistan.
H D Khatri, deputy director general of Shipping (Technical) on May 25 sent a letter to the police saying some of the pirates were under age and could be tried under the Juvenile Justice Act. Ebyan Mohammed Salah, Somali Ambassador, visited the Taloja jail on June 6 and met Somali pirates. 19 pirates, suspected to be minors, were selected for age verification. "On Saturday, nine pirates underwent bone, teeth and other tests. The JJ Hospital report confirmed that they were adults. On Monday, 10 others underwent the reports," said an officer from the Yellow Gate police station.
Source: The India Times
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