The pirates had "a substantial cache of arms and equipment," including seven AK-47 assault rifles, three machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, and other weapons, the statement said. The Indian military also found a GPS receiver and other equipment.
Also yesterday, a German military spokesman said a navy frigate had chased away pirates in speedboats pursuing an Ethiopian freighter off the coast of Yemen.
The pirates captured by the Indian Navy were from Somalia and Yemen, two countries on the coast of the Gulf of Aden. The Gibe was flying an Ethiopian flag, but there was no further information about the ship.
Last month, the Indian Navy drew criticism after sinking a Thai fishing trawler that had been commandeered hours earlier by pirates.
At least one Thai crew member was killed in that attack, which the Indian Navy had originally announced by saying it had sunk a pirate "mother ship." The Indian Navy defended its actions, saying it had fired in self-defense.
Somali pirates have become increasingly brazen and recently seized a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil. Many of the commandeered vessels are taken to pirate-controlled regions in Somalia, where they are held for ransom.
It was not immediately clear what would happen to the pirates captured by the Indians or where they would be taken. The statement said only that the prisoners and their weapons would be "handed over to appropriate authorities ashore."
Most foreign navies patrolling the Somali coast have been reluctant to detain suspects because of uncertainties over where they would face trial. Somalia has no effective central government or legal system.
An estimated 1,500 pirates are based in Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region, raking in millions of dollars.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will present a draft Security Council resolution this week asking the United Nations to authorize "all necessary measures" against piracy from Somalia.
But on Friday, the commander of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet questioned the resolution's proposal to attack Somali pirates on land. US Vice Admiral Bill Gortney told reporters that it is difficult to identify pirates and that the potential for killing innocent civilians "cannot be overestimated."
