Dispatches from informed sources indicate that a $4 million ransom earmarked for pirates holding a hijacked oil tanker off the coast of Mudug region was embezzled after the cash payload reached Harardhere district.
According to available intelligence, the funds were dispatched from Mogadishu and transported toward Harardhere to facilitate negotiations regarding the hijacked vessel.
Reports state that the money was moved out of Mogadishu on Sunday, the 11th of this month, loaded into a vehicle locally known as a ‘Leylo Calaawi’ truck.
The vehicle was reportedly escorted by several technical armed pickups mounted with military personnel, accompanied by a senior officer identified as belonging to the Somali National Army military intelligence command.
The funds were reportedly brought into Harardhere district in the Mudug region on the night of the 12th of this month, where they were subsequently handed over to two local businessmen.
Dispatches indicate these businessmen were acting as intermediaries between parties involved in the pirate negotiations, the government, and the vessel’s owners.
Further dispatches add that by late Monday afternoon, $3.5 million was handed over to two designated couriers for onward transport—one of whom was identified as a soldier—while $500,000 was retained by individuals described as brokers involved in facilitating the transaction.
According to reported intelligence, after departing Harardhere, the two men reached a location between Harardhere and El-Huur known as Xiindawaco, where they disembarked from their boat and took possession of a vehicle that had reportedly been prepared for them at the site.
The two individuals then fled with the money to an as-yet unconfirmed destination.
Informed sources further state that the men were last suspected to be in the vicinity of Xinlebi, amidst circulating reports that they escaped toward territories under the control of Al-Shabaab.
However, their current whereabouts and the ultimate disposition of the absconded funds remain unverified.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that several individuals suspected of transporting the cash payload to Harardhere are currently in custody, including the driver who operated the ‘Leylo Calaawi’ truck.
No official details have been published regarding the identities of the detainees or the progress of the ongoing investigation.