UNB, Satkhira :
Existence of the Sundarbans, which is not only a land of beauty but also a great source of livelihood for the people of the south-western part of the country, is at stake for frequent looting of its resources.
Most of the people of Koyra upazila along with the inhabitants of Satkhira and Khulna districts are dependent solely on the globe’s largest mangrove forest for their livelihood.
The inhabitants of the area, mainly fishermen and wood cutters, earn their daily needs form the Sundarbans.
But their journey to the Sunarbans is not safe due to attacks by pirates and forest robbers.
Apart from being vulnerable to the vagaries of nature and wild animals, these poor people also face attacks from various groups of pirates and forest robbers, who sometimes abduct them and demand huge amount of ransom for their release.
Here in the Sundarbans, pirates and forest robbers are self proclaimed king like the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Pirates and forest robbers not only abduct wood cutters and fishermen but also kill them when their families cannot pay the demanded ransom.
Law enforcers conduct drives regularly in the deep forest to control the pirates. Sometimes, pirates and robbers lock in gunfight over the issue.
In the recent past, a few members and leaders of the robber gangs got killed in ‘gunfights’ with law enforcers But there has been no let-up in the trend of robbery incidents.
Rather pirates and forest robbers come into action with new names and titles.
Robbers in the Sundarbans also kill the Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted deer along with alligators.
When robbers remain busy with their daily routine robbery and killing beasts, their mainland collaborators are busy meeting the gangs’ daily needs of water, rice, oil as well as arms and ammunition.
These caseworkers also supply secret information to the robbers and collect ransom from the abductees’ family members.
These reckless miscreants are also used to create panic about pirates among the southern-western region of the country.
These mainland gangs make plan of hostage and work as leaders of the pirates and forest robbers.
A few wood cutters and fishermen disclosed some names of pirates, forest robbers and their collaborators, who rule the Sundarbans.
The pirates are identified as Al Amin, Jahangir, Farhad and Alif.
The collaborators are identified as Abdul Bari or Giti Bari, son of Hafij Uddin, a resident at Tangratila village in Shyamnagar upazila;
Yunus Bhangi and Jakir Hossain, sons of Abdul Mojid, resident of the same village, Rafiqul Islam, son of Ruhul Amin Pagal, a resident of Koikhali village, Monirul Islam, son of Moral, a resident of Chandimukh village of same upazila.
There are some other collaborators named Moinul Islam and his brother Nazrul Islam, Sheikh Jalil, Jannat Sheikh and Jakir Sheikh.
The victims demand all out drives by the law enforcing agencies.
Otherwise, they should stop entering the Sundarbans.
ACF Keramot Ali Mollick of Shatkhira range said that law enforcers are inquiring about wood-cutters and fishermen’s complaint.
Existence of the Sundarbans, which is not only a land of beauty but also a great source of livelihood for the people of the south-western part of the country, is at stake for frequent looting of its resources.
Most of the people of Koyra upazila along with the inhabitants of Satkhira and Khulna districts are dependent solely on the globe’s largest mangrove forest for their livelihood.
The inhabitants of the area, mainly fishermen and wood cutters, earn their daily needs form the Sundarbans.
But their journey to the Sunarbans is not safe due to attacks by pirates and forest robbers.
Apart from being vulnerable to the vagaries of nature and wild animals, these poor people also face attacks from various groups of pirates and forest robbers, who sometimes abduct them and demand huge amount of ransom for their release.
Here in the Sundarbans, pirates and forest robbers are self proclaimed king like the Royal Bengal Tiger.
Pirates and forest robbers not only abduct wood cutters and fishermen but also kill them when their families cannot pay the demanded ransom.
Law enforcers conduct drives regularly in the deep forest to control the pirates. Sometimes, pirates and robbers lock in gunfight over the issue.
In the recent past, a few members and leaders of the robber gangs got killed in ‘gunfights’ with law enforcers But there has been no let-up in the trend of robbery incidents.
Rather pirates and forest robbers come into action with new names and titles.
Robbers in the Sundarbans also kill the Royal Bengal Tiger, spotted deer along with alligators.
When robbers remain busy with their daily routine robbery and killing beasts, their mainland collaborators are busy meeting the gangs’ daily needs of water, rice, oil as well as arms and ammunition.
These caseworkers also supply secret information to the robbers and collect ransom from the abductees’ family members.
These reckless miscreants are also used to create panic about pirates among the southern-western region of the country.
These mainland gangs make plan of hostage and work as leaders of the pirates and forest robbers.
A few wood cutters and fishermen disclosed some names of pirates, forest robbers and their collaborators, who rule the Sundarbans.
The pirates are identified as Al Amin, Jahangir, Farhad and Alif.
The collaborators are identified as Abdul Bari or Giti Bari, son of Hafij Uddin, a resident at Tangratila village in Shyamnagar upazila;
Yunus Bhangi and Jakir Hossain, sons of Abdul Mojid, resident of the same village, Rafiqul Islam, son of Ruhul Amin Pagal, a resident of Koikhali village, Monirul Islam, son of Moral, a resident of Chandimukh village of same upazila.
There are some other collaborators named Moinul Islam and his brother Nazrul Islam, Sheikh Jalil, Jannat Sheikh and Jakir Sheikh.
The victims demand all out drives by the law enforcing agencies.
Otherwise, they should stop entering the Sundarbans.
ACF Keramot Ali Mollick of Shatkhira range said that law enforcers are inquiring about wood-cutters and fishermen’s complaint.
