Photos of 4 pirates aboard MV Abdullah released

Indian Navy released photos of 4 Somali pirates aboard the hostage Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah. The photos show the pirates patrolling the ship. They were also seen on top of the ship with heavy weapons in their hands.

The photos were released by the Indian Navy spokesperson's X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday (March 15) afternoon.

According to X's post, an Indian warship and a long-range maritime patrol aircraft are stationed in the vicinity to assist the Bangladeshi ship, MV Abdullah, held hostage by Somali pirates.

Meanwhile, the anchor of the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah has been lifted after a day of taking Garakat off the coast of Somalia. Later, the pirates took the hostage ship 45-50 nautical miles northwards to the Gadbjiran coast.

Bangladesh Merchant Marine Officers Association (BMMOA) general secretary Md Shakhawat Hossain told the media on Friday night, "We have received this information from reliable sources who are tracking the location of the ship."

Earlier on March 12, Somali pirates hijacked this vessel of SR Shipping owned by KSRM on its way to Dubai with 50,000 tonnes of coal from Mozambique. They initially confined the 23 sailors on board to a cabin. The ship's internet connection was also shut down. At this time, the sailors' mobile phones and dollars were taken away. The pirates brought the ship off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, the third day of the hostage-taking.