Ajay Pant, the wife of the ship's captain, who was detained while crossing the English Channel, claimed that her husband had been framed. The Russian oil tanker was heading towards India via the English Channel from Russia. As there is an embargo on Russian oil, the vessel was seized as soon as it entered British waters. Ajay has been in British custody since June 14. His wife Ritu Panth opened up about this situation.
“My husband has only been made a scapegoat,” she told AFP. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time.” For the past two months, there has been a commotion about this incident. However, his family did not open their mouths. This is the first time a member of Ajay's family has been seen giving a statement on this matter.
Ritu says that he is having a hard time in jail due to non-bailable conditions. “She was broken down. She was just crying. She didn't understand what had happened to her… she just said, 'I'm in jail, please get me out of here,'” he said, recalling a phone conversation between them after his arrest.
Initially, it was reported that the ship left Russia at the beginning of June with 100,000 tons of Ural crude. It was supposed to anchor at Sikka port in Gujarat. But there was no valid flag on the ship. The ship used the Cameroonian flag until last December. British forces have seized a ship without a flag carrying Russian oil. It is known that this work has been done on the special orders of Prime Minister Kier Starmer. But when 'innocent' Ajay will be released? The answer is elusive.