KOCHI: The worst maritime fears of India have been confirmed. In a clear indication that the Somali pirates are gradually shifting base to the Indian waters, highly placed sources in the coastal security agencies have confirmed that the Somali nationals caught recently from the Lakshadweep Islands were pirates.
It was in May that eight people were taken into custody from the Lakshadweep Islands. The Somali nationals claimed that they were fishermen who left the Somali coast in March for fishing. They said they did not have enough food and fuel and got stranded. The Somalis claimed to have reached the Indian coast after the mother ship sank.
The officials had then said that looking at the imprints of piracy, it could be seen that the pirates had earlier shifted to Mauritius and Seychelles coasts and were now coming upward. The officials had added that there were 13 incidents of piracy within 400 miles off the Lakshadweep Island and though the Somalis had not been identified as pirates, they had no business of being there.
"However, they have now been identified as pirates. Of course, they have not come to the Indian waters intentionally. They were part of a bigger group, they came by a mother ship, drifted away in two boats. They, however, have crossed the Mauritius and Seychelles coasts. From the Somali coast, they came up to here. The area of operation is quite big," said the sources.
The Somali pirates have been later handed over to the police for interrogation. The incident points to the need of the coastal security agencies to maintain a close relationship with the local people and the fisher community.
"The fact that pirates are no more confined to some kilometres within Somalia sends out alarming signals about our coastal security scenario. It is virtually impossible for the coastal security agencies alone to monitor the coast. It is high time we acknowledged the local people who informed us about the Somalis. If they can come up to the islands, they can well penetrate into the land. Also, what if they seize one of our passenger vessels?" asked Manoj Joy, who operates the sailors helpline in Chennai.