A video showing military personnel pointing their guns towards a few men seen lying on the floor of a ship is going viral on the internet to claim that it shows Indian navy recently capturing 35 Somali pirates.
What did the viral post say?: An X (formerly Twitter) premium user named 'War Flash' shared the clip with a caption that said, "Indian Navy MARCOS (Marine Commandos) captured 35 Somali pirates during anti pirates operation."
What's the truth?: The video could be traced back to 20 March and shows a joint military exercise conducted by the Indian armed forces and the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) in Seychelles.
How did we find that out?: On conducting a Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral video, we found the same visuals uploaded on an Instagram handle named 'observervoice'.
The video was shared on 20 March.
Its caption said, "Strengthening partnerships across the seas. The 11th edition of Joint Military Exercise LAMITIYE 2026, held in #Seychelles from 09–20 March 2026, brought together the Indian Armed Forces and the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF) in a shared commitment to security and cooperation..."
News reports: A report published by Asianet News said that the 11th edition of Joint Military Exercise named 'LAMITIYE 2026' was conducted in Seychelles from 9 to 20 March by the Indian armed forces and the SDF.
The exercise aimed to enhance operational synergy and mutual understanding in semi-urban and maritime security scenarios.
India Today, on its official YouTube channel, too, posted a video report on the military exercises.
It was shared on 19 March and its title said, "India, Seychelles Conduct ‘LAMITIYE 2026’ Joint Military Exercise | Maritime Security."
Conclusion: It is evident that the video is old and shows a joint military exercise between Indian armed forces and the SDF.
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