India deploys 4 warships in Arabian sea to check pirates

In wake of rise in incidents of piracy off the coast of Lakshadweep, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have deployed at least four warships in the Arabian Sea and pressed into service aircraft for surveillance as part of efforts to check such incidents.

To deter the pirates from attempting any action in the region near Lakshadweep and Minicoy Islands, the two sea guarding agencies have decided to maintain sustained presence of four to five of their vessels in the Central Arabian Sea, Navy officials said here.

The step comes soon after pirates captured Bangladeshi merchant ship MV Jahan Moni on December 5 off the coast of India's Lakshadweep Islands on its way to Europe with 25 crew members and 41,000 tonnes of nickel ore on board.

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