Freed by Somali pirates three Keralite hostages eager to return home

[email protected] (CD Network)
December 24, 2011

hostage


Kasargod, December 24: Three Keralites, who had been held hostage among 22 crewmen of a foreign-flagged ship by Somali pirates for over nine months, were eager to return home after their release.

The pirates on Wednesday night had freed the Italian oil tanker hijacked in February with 17 Indians and five Italians on board after more than 10 months in captivity.

All the three Keralites - Fazal Sheikh (24) from kanhangad, Vijesh (30) from Koylandi and Hari P Nayar (28) from Kottayam – have contacted their family members to inform about their homecoming.

The Keralite crew and their families had faced "a harsh test" over the past months. Meanwhile Kerala government has expressed its great satisfaction for the release of the hostages.

According to Nairobi-based Somalia Report website, a ransom of $11.5 million (8.8 million euros) had been paid to the pirates as part of 'release deal', but, the foreign ministry of Italy denied it had paid any money.

"The Italian government never contemplated the possibility of a direct negotiation with the pirates or the payment of ransom for the liberation of the hostages, which is expressly banned by legislation," the ministry said.

It also said that "military action had been avoided so as not to put in danger the security of the hostages," adding that the liberation was the result of "constant pressure" on Somali authorities to make "every possible effort".

The 105,000-ton tanker owned by Naples shipping company Fratelli D'Amato was seized on February 8 after five pirates aboard a skiff opened fire on it with rocket launchers and submachine guns near the Yemeni island of Socotra.

The ship had tried to evade capture by speeding up, suddenly changing gear and firing powerful water jets on the pirate boat.

The tanker was on its way from Sudan to Malaysia and was carrying a load of crude oil for the Arcadia commodities trading company.

According to EU's anti-piracy mission NAVFOR, Somali pirates are currently holding 199 people hostage as part of their ransom business.

Since the start of the EU NAVFOR counter-piracy mission in December 2008, 2,317 seamen have been held hostage for an average of nearly five months.

It said many hostages were tortured and abused and some killed by hijackers.


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News Network
December 5,2025

Mangaluru: In a significant step to curb online hate and intimidation, Mangaluru City Police have registered a suo motu case against multiple Instagram accounts accused of circulating alleged provocative and threatening content.

While monitoring social media activity on Tuesday, Kankanady Town PSI Anitha Nikkam identified the Instagram handle ‘team_targetttt_900’ for posting a hate message alongside images of lethal weapons. Another account, ‘team_nagara_900’, allegedly shared a threatening post targeting activist Bharath Kumdelu, tagging additional pages such as KARAVALI-OFFICIAL.

Several other accounts — including ‘immu_bhai.fan’, ‘target_boy_900’, ‘kings_of_manglore’, ‘team_target_boys.900’, ‘arshad_mangalore’, ‘target_ka19_ullal’, ‘team_target__’, ‘troll_tigersz_900’, ‘tr_group_900’, and ‘team_target_900’ — are also under scrutiny for spreading similar inflammatory material, police said.

Authorities have urged citizens, especially young social media users, to report suspicious pages and avoid engaging with groups that glorify violence or threaten individuals. Online hate can quickly escalate into real-world harm, and police stress that sharing or promoting such content can attract legal consequences.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 2,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 2: Mangaluru International Airport responded to a medical emergency late on Monday night. Air India Express flight IX 522, travelling from Riyadh to Thiruvananthapuram, was diverted to Mangaluru Airport after a passenger in his late 30s experienced a medical emergency on board.

The Airport’s Operations Control Centre received an alert regarding the passenger’s health condition. The airport activated its emergency response protocol, mobilising the airport medical team and coordinating with stakeholders including CISF, immigration, and customs. 

Upon landing, airport medical personnel attended to the passenger, assessed his condition, and arranged to shift him to a local tertiary-care hospital for further treatment. The passenger’s relatives accompanied the passenger, who incidentally received necessary medical care on board, which helped stabilise the situation.

Following the handling of the emergency, the flight departed for Thiruvananthapuram at 2:05 am on Tuesday.

"We appreciate the cooperation of all parties involved, and this incident reaffirms our ongoing commitment to prioritising passenger safety and readiness to respond to unforeseen emergencies with professionalism and care," the Airport spokesperson said. 

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