MV Ruen case: Investigating officer recalls challenges in cracking piracy case

As the Mumbai Sessions Court convicted 35 Somali nationals in the MV Ruen piracy case and sentenced them to life imprisonment midday spoke with Deputy Superintendent of Police SDPO Maya More from Alibaug subdivision Raigad Police about her role and the challenges in the investigation owing to language barriers among other issues More served as assistant commissioner of police in Yellow Gate Division South Mumbai and was the investigating officer in the case in 2024Excerpts from the interviewHow did the investigation take its courseIt began in March 2024 after the Indian Navy handed over 35 Somali nationals to us I was posted at Yellow Gate police station and was made the investigating officer It was unlike any case I had handled as we were dealing with foreign nationals 35 alleged pirates and there was a huge language barrier The navy had seized the hijacked vessel which was carrying arms and ammunition It was a highprofile case unlike any other involving national security We began interrogating the accused uncovered their motive studied their modus operandi and pieced together the evidence By September 2024 we had completed the investigation and filed the charge sheetThe 35 Somali nationals arrested in the MV Ruen piracy case remain in police custody at the dock after being brought to Mumbai following their arrest PicBy Special ArrangementHow did you navigate the language barrierThey were speaking Somali and we had no clue what they were saying We immediately began writing to various authorities seeking a translator Eventually we found one Ismail a Somali national who was then a student at Pune University He translated our questions for the accused and translated their answers back to us It was a long and painstaking processHow did the interrogation take placeWe interrogated each of them individually We didnrsquot want them communicating with each other changing their statements or influencing one another So all 35 were kept separate during questioning That itself took a lot of time We were dealing with foreign nationals and their behaviour was unpredictable so we had to be extremely cautious For every accused three to four police personnel were deployed for security apart from the investigating team and the translatorWhen you look back how will you describe the caseIt was a huge highprofile case and a truly unique experience As we say in Marathi ldquodev sandhich son karayla shikavto god teaches you to turn an opportunity into goldrdquo I looked at this investigation the same way It was a rare opportunity and a huge responsibility and I wanted to give it my best Looking back today Irsquom proud that our team successfully completed the investigationThe investigating teamgtgt Deputy Superintendent of Police Maya More Alibaug subdivision Raigad Police served as ACP in Yellow Gate Division South Mumbai in 2024gtgt Police Inspector Sushant Sawant Mumbaigtgt Police Inspector Ajay Kadam Mumbaigtgt Head Constable Shintre Mumbaigtgt Police Constable Ganesh Sanap Mumbaigtgt Police Constable Avinash Khairnar MumbaiWhat is the MV Ruen caseDecember 2023 Armed Somali pirates hijacked the Maltaflagged bulk carrier MV Ruen in the Arabian Sea The pirates held the vessel and its 17 crew members hostage for nearly three monthsMarch 2024 The Indian Navy intercepted the ship after a nearly 40hour antipiracy operation rescued all crew members unharmed and arrested all 35 pirates The accused were handed over to the Yellow Gate Police leading to one of Indiarsquos biggest piracy prosecutions under the Maritime AntiPiracy Actpopcorn numberDec 2023 descMonth MV Ruen was hijacked by Somali pirates classDefault