{"id":15074,"date":"2026-08-21T17:56:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:56:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=15074"},"modified":"2026-08-21T17:56:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T17:56:52","slug":"made-a-scapegoat-wife-of-indian-captain-jailed-in-uk-over-russian-oil-vessel-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=15074","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Made a scapegoat\u2019: Wife of Indian captain jailed in UK over Russian oil vessel case"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133404242,imgsize-807065,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/file-photo.jpg\" alt=\"\u2018Made a scapegoat\u2019: Wife of Indian captain jailed in UK over Russian oil vessel case\" title=\"Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June\">Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The wife of Indian merchant navy captain Ajay Pant has called her husband a \u201cscapegoat\u201d after he was arrested in Britain over alleged sanctions violations linked to a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"2\"\/>Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June after Royal Marines and National Crime Agency officers boarded the sanctioned tanker Smyrtos in the English Channel. He faces charges under UK sanctions regulations that carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His trial is scheduled to begin on December 15.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>\u201cMy husband just became the scapegoat,\u201d Ritu Pant, 36, told AFP in her first sit-down interview since her husband&#8217;s arrest. <!-- -->\u201cHe was at the wrong place at the wrong time.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"9\"\/>The Smyrtos was intercepted on June 14 in the first UK-led operation of its kind. The tanker is alleged to be part of Russia\u2019s \u201cshadow fleet\u201d \u2014 a network of vessels with opaque ownership and insurance that Moscow is accused of using to circumvent sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"11\"\/>According to MarineTraffic, the vessel sailed from Russia\u2019s Ust-Luga port on June 5, with Egypt\u2019s Port Said listed as its destination. Prosecutors allege Pant had \u201cknowledge of the cargo\u201d, which amounted to around 98,000 tonnes of Russian oil.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"15\"\/>Pant was denied bail by a London court in July over concerns that he could abscond or receive assistance from Russia to flee. His application to have the charges dismissed is due to be heard on November 12.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"17\"\/>Ritu said her husband was struggling in custody and recalled their first phone call after his arrest.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>\u201cHe was broken and he was just crying,\u201d she said. \u201cHe didn&#8217;t know what had happened to him&#8230; <!-- -->He just said, &#8216;I am in jail, please take me out&#8217;.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"23\"\/>Pant\u2019s lawyer has argued that the captain was \u201csimply following orders\u201d as an employee of the vessel\u2019s owner. Ritu echoed that defence, saying, \u201cThe master\u2019s responsibility in any vessel is to just get the cargo safely to its destination.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/>The case could have wider implications for merchant seafarers, as it is believed to be among the first instances of a European country pursuing criminal sanctions charges against an individual captain over alleged shadow fleet activity rather than focusing solely on the vessel\u2019s owners or operators.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"29\"\/>Pant\u2019s arrest has also raised concerns among seafarers\u2019 groups about crews being caught in geopolitical disputes without knowing the ownership or sanctions status of the vessels they operate. India has more than 320,000 seafarers, making the case particularly significant for the country\u2019s merchant shipping workforce.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/world\/uk\/made-a-scapegoat-wife-of-indian-captain-jailed-in-uk-over-russian-oil-vessel-case\/articleshow\/133404195.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June The wife of Indian merchant navy captain Ajay Pant has called her husband a \u201cscapegoat\u201d after he was arrested in Britain over alleged sanctions violations linked to a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker.Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June after Royal Marines 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38, has been in custody in Britain since June The wife of Indian merchant navy captain Ajay Pant has called her husband a \u201cscapegoat\u201d after he was arrested in Britain over alleged sanctions violations linked to a Russian shadow fleet oil tanker.Pant, 38, has been in custody in Britain since June after Royal Marines [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 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