MUMBAI, July 21 -- A Mumbai sessions court on Monday sentenced 44 Somalian pirates to life imprisonment, nearly a month after they pleaded guilty to hijacking two vessels in the Gulf of Aden in 2024 and threatening the lives of crew members. The accused had been arrested in separate rescue operations carried out by the Indian Navy. Special judge S B Dige accepted the guilty pleas after giving the accused time to reconsider their decision and ruled that the admissions were voluntary. "This Court is satisfied that all accused have pleaded guilty voluntarily, unconditionally, without any coercion, misrepresentation or pressure. Hence, their plea of guilty is accepted," the judge said. The first case relates to the hijacking of MV Ruen, a Malta-flagged bulk carrier, in March 2024. INS Kolkata intercepted the vessel after receiving a distress alert that it had been hijacked and was being taken towards Somalia. As the situation escalated, INS Kochi and INS Subhadra joined the operation. On March 16, 2024, Marine Commandos boarded the vessel, rescued all 18 crew members and arrested 35 pirates. During the incident, one pirate shot and injured the ship's chief officer, who was later taken to Oman for treatment. Police said the pirates had demanded $60 million from the vessel's owners for the release of the crew and the ship. The remaining nine pirates were arrested in a separate operation on March 29, 2024, after INS Trishul and INS Sumedha intercepted an Iranian-flagged vessel, from which 23 crew members were rescued. htc...