Indian Captain Arrested After UK Commandos Seize Russian Oil Tanker; Wife Calls Him ‘Scapegoat’
An Indian merchant navy captain has been held in Britain since June after authorities intercepted the oil tanker he was commanding in the English Channel and accused him of violating sanctions related to Russian oil.
Ajay Pant, 38, was the captain of the Smyrtos, a tanker that British forces intercepted on June 14. UK prosecutors allege that he helped transport or supply banned Russian oil or oil products by sea to another country.
Pant denies any wrongdoing. The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
His wife, Ritu Pant, 36, said her husband had been made a “scapegoat”.
Pant, who is from Ramnagar in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district,…