Indian sailor held captive by Somali pirates returns home

Meerut (UP): Saurabh Kumar, who was among the 28 Indian seafarers rescued from Somali pirates after their vessels were hijacked last year, returned home here on Monday. A resident of Jaidevi area of the district, Saurabh was posted as a Cadet in a company in Mumbai. Saurabh`s sister Mundresh told reporters that on March 2 last year when the ship was on way Egypt to South Africa it was hijacked by pirates. A demand of four million US dollars had been made by the pirates for the release of captives but we are not aware whether the amount was paid to them or not, she said.

17 Indian seafarers on board the MT Royal Grace have been in captivity of pirates since March 2, 2012 and 11 Indian seafarers on board MT Smyrni were in captivity since May 10, 2012. PTI