Bartamaha (Panaji): Indian naval ship ‘INS Cankarso’, which doubled up with Indian Coast Guard to capture Somali pirates near Lakshadweep Island, returned to its base on Wednesday, officials said.
‘INS Cankarso’, the newly inducted WJFAC (Water Jet Fast Attack Craft), based at Goa and commanded by Cdr Arun Bahuguna, was commissioned to capture pirates who were threatening merchant shipping in the Arabian sea.
“The Naval ship successfully engaged the pirate mother ship ‘Prantlay’ in self defence and sunk the same near the Lakshadweep Island on January 28, 2011, while on anti piracy patrol near Lakshwadweep islands in an operation named ‘Island Watch’,” an Indian Navy spokesman said.
The pirate ship was ordered to stop on being accosted at high sea.
However, the pirate ship fired at Cankarso and tried to flee west.
Cankarso opened fire in self defence due to which a fire broke out on the pirates’ mother vessel which eventually sunk, he said.
The pirates — 14 Somali and an Ethiopian — were apprehended on January 31 after a gunbattle while trying to loot a foreign merchant vessel and placed under arrest. They have been remanded in police custody by a Mumbai court in police custody till February 17.
The released fishermen are being taken to Mumbai by another naval ship, the spokesman added.
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Source:- sify.
