New Delhi, Mar 30 (IANS): The Indian Navy on Saturday said that nine pirates are being brought to India for legal action who were responsible for hijacking an Iranian fishing vessel Al-Kambar in the Arabian Sea, in which 23 Pakistani nationals were rescued.

“All the nine pirates were forced to surrender by the specialist teams. They are being brought to India for legal action in accordance with the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act of 2022,” the Navy said.

The Navy said that the crew comprising 23 Pakistani nationals were given a thorough medical checkup prior to clearing the boat to continue with the fishing activities.

“Two naval ships, mission deployed in the Arabian Sea for maritime security operations were diverted to intercept the hijacked fishing vessel after we received information of a potential piracy incident onboard the Iranian fishing vessel Al-Kambar on March 28,” the Navy said.

The fishing vessel at the time of the incident was approximately 90 Nm southwest of Socotra and was reported to have been boarded by nine armed pirates.

“The hijacked fishing vessel was intercepted on March 29,” the Navy said.

It said that the Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and the safety of seafarers, irrespective of nationalities.