Key facts
- India's Defence Ministry said naval forces freed the Iranian fishing boat Azini and its crew of 20 after a hijacking off Somalia.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the rescue was completed on Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000km from Mumbai.
- A Puntland Maritime Police Force official said Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates and released them.
Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 after it was hijacked off Somalia, India's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday, in an operation lasting more than 48 hours.
The rescue of the Azini was completed on Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000km (1,860 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.
An official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. The report was truncated at that point and did not state what charges, if any, the suspected pirates face or where they were taken.