Bagerhat Correspondent :
Once again gang robberies were committed in the fishing trawlers in the Bay of Bengal near Dublar Char under Sharankhola Forest Range in the Eastern Division of Sundarbans in Bagerhat district at Saturday night, according to a delayed report received here.
This time the jungle pirates kidnapped 2 fishing trawlers along with 39 fishermen in order to realize a sum of Tk.5 lakh per fisherman as ransom. The jungle pirates committed the dacoity in the fishing boats from 9 pm to till sun rise.
Abdul Mannan, President and Dulal Master, General Secretary of Barguna district trawlers-Labours’ Association told, due to taking the stern measures by the Government to subdue the jungle pirates the Bay of Bengal and Sundarbans became free from the jungle pirates for long and consequently, the fishermen used to catch fish from there freely. But very recently the jungle pirates once again organized and raised their heads. As a result, the life of the fishermen became in secure there again. On Saturday at night when the fishermen were catching fish in the Bay near Dubla fishermen village a large number of jungle pirates appeared there, identified themselves as the members of Sattar Bahini, Choto Bhai Bahini and Zakir Bahini, three notorious gangs of jungle pirates of Sundarbans, attacked the fishing trawlers, committed gang dacoities in them (trawlers) one after another and looted fish, cash Taka, food, rice, pulse, diesel oil, mobile phones and other valuables after beating the fishermen mercilessly. And at the time of their departure they kidnapped 2 fishing trawlers along with 39 fishermen. Out of them 7 including Khalek Mia, Jamal Hossain, Monir Hossain, Abdul Kader and Al-amin hail from Patharghata Upszila in Barguna district, 10 hail from Bagerhat district, 10 hail from Parerhat area and 10 hail from Tushkhai area in Pirojpur district and 2 from Barguna district. After the committing dacoity the jungle pirates deamanded Tk.5 lakh for the release of each kidnapped fisherman.
Kamal Uddin of Dubla fishermen Group told, 15 fishermen out of the total kidnapped 39 fishermen are his fishermen. They all hail from Parerhat and Tushkhali areas.
It is learnt from the source of the association of Sharankhola Fish Depots that Lokman Majhi, driver of fishing trawler FB. Madhu belonging to Maruf Mia of Rajiar village hail from of same village under Sharankhola Upazila in Bagerhat district was one of the kidnapped fishermen.
Md. Sadekur Mahmud, in-charge of Dubla Forest fishermen village Office confirmed the news of kidnapping the fishermen. But he could not give the detailed information.
Lt. Abullah-al-Mahmud, Operation Officer of the coast-guards of the Western Zone deployed at Mongla told that he had known the news of kidnapping incident of the fishermen from the different sources and the members of the coast-guards contingents of Dubla, Kokilmoni and Kachikhali already started operation to rescue the kidnapped fishermen.
