Those who have lived their childhood in the era of comics before the advent of animations and digital technology are well versed with the sea pirates and dacoits. Stories of hijacking the ships and holding the passengers hostage were replete with the heroics of the kings who decimated such vagabonds. The recent attacks on merchant ships should be a cause of great concern. These attacks have brought those childhood memories alive and it has created new security challenges. The increasing attacks on the ships transiting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Eden and the Arabian Sea have forced the Indian Navy to increase the maritime surveillance in the Central and the North Arabian Sea. Indian Navy has enhanced its sea preparedness in the wake of these attacks. It has created the Task Forces consisting of destroyers and frigates meant to undertake maritime security operations for rendering assistance to the merchant ships in case of any emergency arising from the sea pirates. Not only that it has started aerial surveillance by using long-range maritime patrol aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA).In the strategic community concerns are being raised about the surge in piracy in the Western Indian Ocean. Many theories are gaining currency in the security establishment on this issue. One being that the pirates are taking advantage of the security shift from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. Somalia’s piracy concerns are still unaddressed. The reason being that the international maritime presence has considerably fallen. Thus shifting the burden of the security of the seas to a few navies. Due to the end of NATO’s anti-piracy mission in 2016,the onus of security in the Gulf of Aden has fallen on the US-led coalition, a few European Union(EU) maritime forces, independent actors that includes Indian and Chinese navies. The other theory that is making rounds is that the pirates and the radical religious terrorists are working in concert. It includes the synergy between Al-Shabaab in Somalia and the Houthis in the Red Sea. Both groups have joined hands after the reoccurrence of the Isreal-Palestine conflict in the West Asia. Another theory underlines a linkage with power rivalries in the Horn of Africa. All these evidences and intelligence inputs suggest that there is a new danger to the national security of the nations who ferry their merchandise through these seas. That includes the petroleum products. Thus having economic implications as well. The recent meeting between the Indian Foreign Minister, S.Jaishankar and Iranian President, Ebharam Raisi is a significant move. Jaishankar has highlighted the emerging security threat in the Indian Ocean with Iran. Rightly so, when it is a known fact now that Iran has control over some pirates who are active after the re-emergence of conflict in the West Asia. Even Chabahar port has been discussed. India needs to sensitise its neighbourhood about the possible threat due to sea pirates and its implications on the regional security. India has to be extra cautious due to the sensitive satiation on its borders. Especially Jammu and Kashmir. India can’t afford to lower the guard. As the changing maritime security imperative will surely have impact on the national security. As such India needs to assert its maritime presence. We have repeatedly argued in these editorials in the Rising Kashmir that after destabilising India in the Himalayas; enemies are working on new permutations and combinations to create turbulence. Maritime frontiers are the new frontiers of conflict for India. And it needs to invest in terms of strategy and technology to secure them at all costs.