New Delhi:
India is investigating the hijacking of several boats off the coast of Somalia amid news reports that eight vessels and 120 Indian sailors have been seized.
"There is truth in the fact some boats have been hijacked but we still don't know how many and when," a military source told AFP asking not to be named.
Media reports said the eight vessels were on their way from Somalia to Dubai when they were hijacked, adding that the sailors were from the western state of Gujarat, which has a large fishing boat fleet.
No ransom demand has been made so far, media reports said, citing unnamed sources, while the ships are believed to be near the Seychelles.
The military source told AFP that the Indian navy was working with Indian shipping authorities, as well as foreign navies around the coast of Somalia, to confirm details of the hijackings.
Somali pirates, targeting one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, raked in an estimated 60 million dollars in ransoms last year.
Indian ships and ships with Indian crew have often been the target of hijackings, though the capture of 120 sailors would be one of the largest raids.