For nearly five months, the family of Indian sailor Mohammed Tanweeruz Zaman lived in distress, going from office to office and contacting every authority they could think of as they desperately sought his release after he was taken captive aboard the MT Honour 25.
But when they were told that Zaman had been killed during a rescue operation, their ordeal took a darker turn. The family says the injuries they saw on his body raised serious doubts about the official account of his death and led them to believe he may have been tortured while in captivity.
“We felt that he had been held captive and tortured. To us, it did not look like the injuries were the result of crossfire or a rescue operation,” Zaman’s nephew Raja Altaj Khan told LiveMint in an exclusive interview.
Zaman, the sole breadwinner of his family, had been working aboard the fuel tanker when it was hijacked off the coast of on 21 April, according to Khan.
After the vessel was seized, Zaman managed to get access to a phone and contacted his family, Khan said.
“After a few days, the gave him access to their phone so that he could call his family and inform them that the ship had been hijacked. They wanted the kidnapped crew members to convey the information to their families and the authorities,” Khan said.
The family said that they immediately contacted the shipping company and authorities, including DG Shipping and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).
“After that, we started communicating with the pirates. They would give us instructions and make demands. During the negotiations, they initially demanded $7 million,” Khan said.
According to Khan, the ransom demand was eventually reduced to $1 million after months of negotiations.
“The negotiations had already been going on for around five months. The ship owner was Somali and told us that he was trying to negotiate with the pirates. Eventually, the ransom demand came down to $1 million,” he said.
The family alleges that the company ultimately did not pay the $1 million ransom.
Khan said ITF Europe advised the family that experienced negotiators and competent authorities should handle the negotiations.
“But the ship owner said that they would deal with the matter themselves,” Khan said.
For months, the family had little information about Zaman’s condition or whereabouts.
“There were always delays in receiving information. We would get updates only after a long time. All of this was extremely shocking and distressing for our family,” Khan said.
The family also approached various authorities, including the Ministry of External Affairs, seeking Zaman’s release.
“We pleaded for Zaman’s release. We approached various authorities and offices, but received no response. The only response we received was from Lok Bhavan (West Bengal), which told us that our representation had been forwarded to the ,” Khan said.
Then, in September, the family received news that Zaman had been killed.
Khan said his last conversation with the ship’s captain was on 16 September. The continued receiving updates through the captain’s wife.
“On 29 September, I received a call from the captain’s wife, who used to give us updates from time to time. She told me that a rescue team had reached the ship and that five people had died. Zaman was the only Indian among them,” he said.
“The news was extremely distressing for my mother, who is Zaman’s sister. I immediately video-called the captain. During the call, he told me that Zaman had been killed,” Khan said.
According to Khan, the family was told that a pirate had opened fire during the rescue operation.
“He told us that when the rescue operation was taking place, everyone was on the deck. When we asked how Zaman had died, he said that one of the pirates had suddenly started firing at the people, and Zaman was killed,” Khan said.
“We asked for confirmation and requested photographs and videos because we wanted to be absolutely certain that it was Zaman,” Khan said.
The captain eventually showed Zaman to the family during a video call, Khan said.
“The captain sent us photographs. Initially, we thought they might be AI-generated, given how advanced AI has become. After repeated requests, the captain showed Zaman to us on a video call. He pointed out the injuries to his right arm and showed us what appeared to be a gunshot wound,” Khan said.
What the family saw in the photographs and video deepened their doubts about how Zaman died.
“After seeing the video, we felt that he had been held captive and tortured. To us, it did not look like the injuries were the result of crossfire or a rescue operation,” Khan said.
“In the video, we could see serious injuries to his arm and leg. There were other wounds, bruises and black marks on his body,” he added.
LiveMint has reviewed the photographs and videos shared with the family. The material shows multiple visible injuries on Zaman’s body, including wounds and extensive marks on his arms and legs.
The family said it subsequently approached Indian authorities for answers.
“After seeing the photographs and videos, we approached the embassy, but we were told that they had no information about what had happened. We then went from office to office — from the shipping company to DG Shipping — trying to get some confirmation,” Khan said.
After Zaman’s death, the family’s demands have changed. They just want his body brought back to .
“After he was killed, we continued approaching different offices because we wanted to bring his body back. Even now, we have not received any clear assurance from the government or the authorities. From the ministry, we have received no information. Nothing,” Khan said.
“Now, we are simply pleading with the authorities to bring his body back to us. We want him to be handed over to his family. When he was alive, nobody could bring him back. We do not know whose mistake it was, but our request now is very simple — please bring him home,” he said.
“He was an Indian citizen, and we believe the authorities have a responsibility to help us bring him back. We are asking everyone for help,” Khan added.
The MT Honour 25, a -flagged oil tanker carrying around 18,500 barrels of oil, was hijacked off Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region on 21 April, according to media reports.
The Puntland Maritime Force later retook control of the vessel and apprehended 16 suspected pirates, according to reports.
Zaman was among those reported killed during the incident.
