Mumbai, Nov 03 (ANI): The seven Indian soldiers who remained in the captivity of Somali pirates for four years returned to their motherland to receive a warm welcome at the Mumbai airport. Somali pirates freed the seven Indian sailors in exchange for an undisclosed ransom on October 31. The sailors were held since the pirates hijacked the Panama-flagged ship MV Asphalt Venture in September 2010. Eight of their colleagues were freed by the pirates along with the ship in April 2011 for a ransom. Their captors said at the time that they would only release the seven sailors when their fellow Somali pirates held by Indian authorities were freed. It was not clear if their demand had been met. The seven sailors were given a grand welcome by the National Union of Seafarers of India in Mumbai. They were garlanded, held on shoulders and cheered on.