Envoy’s Record Conflicting, 8 Of 35 Somali Pirates Adults

[Deeq A.]

The Juvenile Justice Board determined that eight Somali pirates, who claimed to be minors, were actually adults

MUMBAI: While determining the age of eight of the 35 alleged Somali pirates who claimed to be minors, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) was informed by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia that following internal inquiries, it was determined that conflicting records were supplied by a diplomat without its knowledge or consent. The pirates had hijacked Bulgarian merchant vessel MV Ruen last Dec and demanded a $60 million ransom to release 17 crew members and the vessel.

The JJB was also apprised that the issue was reported to Somalia’s ministry of foreign affairs, which subsequently decided to recall the diplomat who has since departed from India. The JJB had been informed about the conflicting reports after summons were served to the embassy for providing contact numbers of the parents of the accused.

On Monday, after the JJB’s report concluded the eight were adults, the group was produced before the sessions court and remanded to judicial custody till Aug 13. The JJB relied on an ossification test which showed they are all between the ages of 19 and 21. The birth certificates were found to be unreliable and not trustworthy.

Special public prosecutor Ranjit Sangle submitted a copy of the JJB’s order dated Aug 5. He said the accused produced fabricated documents. “The enquiry of the JJB has established that the plea taken was based on procured documents and that they are unreliable. Medical examination and ossification test results are considered to be conclusive. Now, all these eight accused will be tried as adults, along with the other 27 pirates,” he said.

Source: Times of India

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