The 15 Somali, Ethiopian and Kenyan pirates taken into custody off the Lakshadweep coast have been booked under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Passports Act by the police here.
“An offence has been registered at the Yellow Gate Police Station and the Coast Guard is the complainant,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Rajnish Seth told TheHindu.
The rescued hostages are in Kochi and not brought here. “They need medical attention, so they are in Kochi,” Deputy Commissioner of Police, Port Zone, Khalid Kaisar, said.
Of the 15 pirates, one is a Kenyan and one an Ethiopian. “We are verifying whether the rest of them are Somalis as they don't have any documents with them.”
They were arrested for violating Indian laws and for acting against Indians. “We have recovered the abducted people, but they are not Indians. So we cannot book them here for that crime,” he said.
The pirates were booked for firing on the Indian Navy and for not abiding by its orders in the Indian waters.
“The incident happened in India's Exclusive Economic Zone. We have slapped sections relating to unlawful assembly, not abiding by the orders of the Navy, carrying deadly weapons, and not dispersing the unlawful assembly despite orders,” Mr. Kaisar said.
The pirates were booked under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (not abiding by the orders of the Navy), 143, 145, 147, 148, and 149 of the IPC, read with Section 14 of the Passports Act.
Some of these sections pertained to carrying deadly weapons.
First such trial in India
All the pirates were taken to a hospital on Monday as many of them suffered injuries during the naval operation.
“They have to be given medical attention. One of them is serious and he may have to be admitted to the hospital.
The rest would be left after examination and medication,” Mr. Kaisar said.
The pirates would be produced in a local court on Tuesday. “This is probably the first time that Somali pirates will be tried in India,” he added.
