Visakhapatnam, Jan 16 (ANI): Concerned over his safety after being kidnapped by Somalian pirates in the bordering waters at Kenya on January 7, the relatives of a maritime technician from the port city of Visakhapatanam voiced their anxiety.
They shared their anguish with the media persons at Visakhapatanam. The news came into light lately when the marine technician, Palaniswamy Saravanan's wife approached the media for help in the release of her husband.
The 35-years old engineer, who is a native of Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, was among the eleven marine technicians abducted by the suspected Somali pirates.
However, the kidnappers released all the eight Kenyan nationals and detained the abducted Indians in their custody, demanding ransom.
Saravanan's wife came to know through Philip, the assistant manager of the shipping company in which he was employed.
She learnt that the vessel in which her husband was on board was abducted by the pirates.
When she tried to contact him again, he asked her not to call him as the pirate-kidnappers were tapping his phone.
Kodanda Rao, the brother-in-law of Saravanan said that he was trying to contact the police and other concerned authorities, but the 'Pongal' holidays had put his efforts in vain.
"Manager Phillips said the Somali pirates had kidnapped a vessel. The vessel had eight people out of which five Kenyans have been released and the other three have been held. They are demanding a lot of money. We don't have so much money. One person is from Kerala and one is from Tamil Nadu," said Rao.
Saravanan has been working on an annual contract in the Southern Marine Engineering Company of Somalia. He was asked to go for repair works of another vessel of the company, when he was on board m.v Alfa Manyan off Somalian seacoast.
He was sent with local technicians in a tug. While on their way to another ship in the sea, they were caught by the pirates and kidnapped.
Somali pirates have caused havoc in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes in 2008, hijacking dozens of ships.
The European Union, the United States, China, India, Malaysia, Turkey and Russia now all have frigates in the waters off Somalia and Japan plans to follow.
Increasingly brazen pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean waters off Somalia has driven up insurance costs, forced some ships to go round South Africa instead of through the Suez Canal, and secured millions of dollars in ransom. (ANI)
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