Shortly after the infamous organisation operating in the Somalia seas freed a hijacked Bangladeshi ship, at least eight pirates were captured on the 8 Coast of Puntland, a Federal state in northeastern Somalia.
 
Several news sources in Somalia have said that throughout the past three months, the country has suffered with piracy, with pirates collaborating closely with Al-Shabaab fighters. Arresting and prosecuting the pirates has been a conscious endeavour.
 
 
Garowe Online was notified by a senior Puntland Police Force official that eight members of the pirate outfit that was seizing the Bangladesh-flagged ship MV Abdullah have been captured. Whether the ransom money given to the pirates was retrieved during the operation is unknown.
 
Garowe Online was informed by an unidentified Puntland police source that "paying ransoms could potentially encourage more pirate attacks." The pirates have long had their sights set on Puntland's shoreline.
 
This comes as the number of pirate attacks along the Somali coast has decreased, partly due to the considerable efforts made by Indian naval forces to apprehend a large number of pirates. Several pirates were apprehended by the Indian Navy at the beginning of this month, and they were put on trial distant from Somalia.
 
 
Local officials confirm that earlier reports claimed that Somali pirates had freed the MV Abdullah after being paid a $5 million ransom. Mid-March saw the hijacking of a Bangladeshi ship with a crew of twenty-three people, however it's unclear if the pirates were taken into custody after obtaining the ransom.
 
With assistance from foreign partners who have been putting a lot of effort into defusing piracy in Somalia, Puntland Marine Police Force has expanded coastal monitoring. The region has become more stable as a result of the initiatives.
 
Although their efforts have not been entirely effective, the Al-Shabab organisation has been collaborating closely with the pirates by taking advantage of the unrest in Somalia. In order to draw in more investors, Somalia is fighting its vices and streamlining its economy.
 
News Sources Garowe in Somalia.
 
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