India’s oil smuggling bust rekindles focus on Iran’s seizure of tanker with Indian crew

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) busted an international oil smuggling racket through a coordinated sea-air operation conducted on February 5-6, 2026. The crackdown brought renewed attention to an earlier incident in which Iranian authorities seized an oil tanker in international waters and detained 16 Indian crew members.

According to the Department of Defense statement dated February 7, 2026, the ICG operation dismantled a network related to the illegal transfer of large quantities of oil and oil-based cargo from “conflict-prone areas.”

What Happened During India’s Bust?

On February 5, three suspicious vessels were intercepted by ICG vessels about 100 nautical miles west of Mumbai. The ministry said the detailed inspection of the ships, analysis of electronic data recovered on board, verification of documents and interrogation of crew members allowed specialized boarding teams to reconstruct the entire chain of events and reveal the criminal modus operandi.

Investigations revealed that cheap oil was transported by smaller ships and transferred to motor tankers operating in international waters in the middle of the sea. Preliminary findings indicate that the syndicate includes processors operating in more than one country. Ships were also found to frequently change identities to evade law enforcement.

Iran’s Action and Seizure of the Ship

Iranian authorities seized an oil tanker on December 8 for allegedly carrying 6,000 metric tons of illegally transported diesel, the BBC reported.

There were 18 crew members on the ship, 16 of whom were Indian citizens. Following the seizure, the families of the detained sailors approached the Delhi High Court, seeking urgent instructions from the government to ensure their safe return.

The crew was confined to a single room after the seizure, India Today reported, citing Captain Vinod Parmar, brother of Captain Vijay Kumar, who was on board the ship. They were reportedly only allowed to use the restroom under armed escort, while all electronic devices were confiscated.

Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the press conference that eight of the 16 Indian sailors have been released and will return home.

“We had consular access to 16 sailors in Iran. Our officials in Bandar Abbas met with them. 8 of them have been released and will return. We continue to contact Iranian authorities regarding the remaining 8 sailors and are exploring ways to support them.”

Notably, MEA’s statement came on February 5.