Click to play videoNew Delhi: False promises and now a 48-hour deadline that ends on Thursday - for Seema Goyal, the wife of the ship's captain, the fight to secure the release of 18 Indians on board MV Stolt Valor, is only getting tougher. The hijackers have threatened to kill crew members if the $2.5 million dollar isn't paid within the deadline.
"It could be a pressure tactic but I don't trust the hijackers because they are inhumans in human form. They could be nasty, they could do anything," says Seema.
Constant pleas with the Government haven't worked. They either shrug it off - like Shipping Secretary APVN Sarma did saying: "There are a lot of other ships, Stolt Valor is just one of them."
Or they plead helplessness like MoS External Affairs, Anand Sharma did, saying: "There are constraints and concerns. We are talking to other governments of the region and we do hope and pray that the collective efforts on getting safe release of hostages pay."
The Indian Government claims its hands are tied and it cannot rescue the sailors as it would infringe the territorial integrity of Somalia's waters, which means the only apparent solution is for the Government to pressurise the Japan-based ship owning company to negotiate with the pirates.
But even the ship owners statement issued on Wednesday comes as little solace.
A press statement by Stolt Valor says: "The company has heard indirectly that the hijackers of the Stolt Valor have issued an ultimatum, but nothing has been heard from the hijackers' spokesman. Paying enormous sums of money to lawless pirates is in no one's interest except that of hijackers."
But families like crew member Bijender Malik's are determined to fight till the last hour.
His wife, Sushila Malik says, "Till they tell us what they're going to do, we will stay here and protest."
With time ticking fast and the families running out of options, they are now pinning their hope on a miracle.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.