BSS, Dhaka :
The reign of terrors at Sundarbans created by the pirates will soon be ended as most pirates gang members either arrested or surrendered with firearms and ammunition while some others have expressed their desire to surrender in response to the government call. “There were 20 gangs who controlled the Sundarbans area. Now, only four gangs are active in the area as 16 gangs out of 20 have put off their activities due to dragnet of the law enforcers,” operation officer of RAB-8 assistant superintend of police (ASP) Md Nizamuddin told BSS. “The most infamous gang now active at Sundarbans out of the existing four is ‘Jahangir Bahini’ and it has limited activities within Khulna, Sharonkhola and Mongla ranges,” he said adding “Surrender of some pirates is in the pipeline.” .
A total of 199 pirates have so far been arrested with surrender of five pirate gangs with seizure of 612 firearms and 16,451 rounds of bullet since inception of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Intelligence surveillances are now being conducted round the clock to collect information about overall activities of the pirates such as robbing fishermen, kidnapping them for ransom, collecting tolls from the businessmen and their whereabouts.
A task force involving RAB, police, Coastguard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been formed aimed at eliminating pirates from the Sundarbans. The government once again calls upon the members of remaining four gangs to surrender to law enforcers sounded a note of warning that otherwise, no one of them will survive.
Earlier on September 8 last, 14 robbers of two infamous gangs ‘Shanta Bahini’ and ‘Alam Bahini’ of the Sundarbans surrendered to the law enforcers in presence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan with firearms and ammunition. The minister has appreciated the surrender of 10 members of Shanta Bahini including its chief Md Barek Talukder Shanta, 48 and four members of Alam Bahini including its supremo Md Alam Sarder, 34. Asaduzzaman called upon the pirates to surrender, saying, “We hope that the remaining others (pirates) will soon surrender aimed at returning to normal life in response to the premier’s call aimed at making the southeastern region peaceful and secured.”
During the surrender, they have deposited 20 firearms, including nine foreign one barrel pistol, two foreign two barrel pistols, two cut rifles, five .22 bore foreign air rifles, and 1,800 rounds of different types of bullets.
The Shanta Bahini members are Manir Hawlader, 45, Dulal Molla Bhandari, 40, Farid Hawlader, 26, Anisur Rahman Molla, 35, Bashir Ahmed Shaikh, 47, Farid Gazi 38, Mostofa Shaikh, 46, Nurul Islam, 44, and Khorshed Shaikh, 52 while the Alam Bahini members are: Halim Gazi, 26, Abu Bakar Siddiq, 27, and Md Asaduzzaman, 18.
Earlier on May 31 and July 14 in 2016, 10 members of Master Bahini with 52 firearms and 4,500 rounds of bullet and 11 members of Majnu and Ilias Bahini with 25 firearms and 1,020 rounds of bullet surrendered.
The reign of terrors at Sundarbans created by the pirates will soon be ended as most pirates gang members either arrested or surrendered with firearms and ammunition while some others have expressed their desire to surrender in response to the government call. “There were 20 gangs who controlled the Sundarbans area. Now, only four gangs are active in the area as 16 gangs out of 20 have put off their activities due to dragnet of the law enforcers,” operation officer of RAB-8 assistant superintend of police (ASP) Md Nizamuddin told BSS. “The most infamous gang now active at Sundarbans out of the existing four is ‘Jahangir Bahini’ and it has limited activities within Khulna, Sharonkhola and Mongla ranges,” he said adding “Surrender of some pirates is in the pipeline.” .
A total of 199 pirates have so far been arrested with surrender of five pirate gangs with seizure of 612 firearms and 16,451 rounds of bullet since inception of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Intelligence surveillances are now being conducted round the clock to collect information about overall activities of the pirates such as robbing fishermen, kidnapping them for ransom, collecting tolls from the businessmen and their whereabouts.
A task force involving RAB, police, Coastguard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been formed aimed at eliminating pirates from the Sundarbans. The government once again calls upon the members of remaining four gangs to surrender to law enforcers sounded a note of warning that otherwise, no one of them will survive.
Earlier on September 8 last, 14 robbers of two infamous gangs ‘Shanta Bahini’ and ‘Alam Bahini’ of the Sundarbans surrendered to the law enforcers in presence of Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan with firearms and ammunition. The minister has appreciated the surrender of 10 members of Shanta Bahini including its chief Md Barek Talukder Shanta, 48 and four members of Alam Bahini including its supremo Md Alam Sarder, 34. Asaduzzaman called upon the pirates to surrender, saying, “We hope that the remaining others (pirates) will soon surrender aimed at returning to normal life in response to the premier’s call aimed at making the southeastern region peaceful and secured.”
During the surrender, they have deposited 20 firearms, including nine foreign one barrel pistol, two foreign two barrel pistols, two cut rifles, five .22 bore foreign air rifles, and 1,800 rounds of different types of bullets.
The Shanta Bahini members are Manir Hawlader, 45, Dulal Molla Bhandari, 40, Farid Hawlader, 26, Anisur Rahman Molla, 35, Bashir Ahmed Shaikh, 47, Farid Gazi 38, Mostofa Shaikh, 46, Nurul Islam, 44, and Khorshed Shaikh, 52 while the Alam Bahini members are: Halim Gazi, 26, Abu Bakar Siddiq, 27, and Md Asaduzzaman, 18.
Earlier on May 31 and July 14 in 2016, 10 members of Master Bahini with 52 firearms and 4,500 rounds of bullet and 11 members of Majnu and Ilias Bahini with 25 firearms and 1,020 rounds of bullet surrendered.
