In two separate operations, members of the Bangladesh army and police in Bandarban detained 53 KNF members, including 18 women.
The operations also led to the arrest of Lalchiam Bom, the assistant cashier of Sonali Bank in Ruma upazila, who is currently undergoing interrogation.
Additionally, law enforcement recovered seven guns, 20 bullets, a laptop, and uniforms from the detainees, according to a press release from the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR).
The Monday afternoon operation conducted by army personnel targeted several villages, including Bathel Para in Ruma upazila, where arms, ammunition, and other terrorist equipment were discovered.
Additional Superintendent of Police Hossain Mohammad Raihan Kazemi stated that police arrested three KNF members and a car driver suspected of involvement in a bank robbery from Thanchi upazila.
The three KNF members were apprehended in connection with the bank robbery during a raid on the Reicha check post area of Bandarban Sadar on Sunday, while the car driver was arrested from Thanchi upazila around 11:00 pm the same night.
The Volvo car used in the robbery was seized. In a significant development on Sunday, RAB arrested Cheusim Bawm, the 55-year-old chief coordinator of KNF, from his home in Sualok in Sadar upazila of Bandarban.
The operation marked a critical step in combating the activities of KNF, which, according to RAB, was formed under the pretext of a cultural organization by Roal Lin Bawm and Cheusim Bawm, with links to KNF chief Nathan Bawm. A coordinated operation is currently underway to counter the KNF following last weeks bank robberies and attacks on security personnel in Bandarban.
On Sunday night, a police operation resulted in the arrest of three KNF members at the Reicha camp and the driver of the vehicle used in the robbery, who was apprehended from Thanchi. Zone Commander of the army in Ruma upazila, Lt. Col. KM Arafat Amin, confirmed the matter.
The detainees from the police operation were identified as Vannanun Moy Bom, Jemeniyu Bom, and Ame Lanchao Bom, residents of Simtlangpi Para in Ruma upazila, while the arrested driver was named Md Kofil Uddin Sagar (28) from Thanchi.
Furthermore, Additional Superintendent of Police Raihan Kazemi revealed that 49 individuals from Ruma, three from Bandarban, and one from Thanchi were detained and sent to the Bandarban district headquarters for further processing.
Meanwhile, in response to the escalating situation, a joint combing operation led by the army has been initiated since Sunday night, covering Ruma, Rowangchhari, and Thanchi upazilas.
The authorities have bolstered security measures by deploying four Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) from Dhaka and increasing the number of security personnel in the area.
The intensified security measures have disrupted daily life, with the closure of banking and financial institutions and the suspension of vehicular movement in Ruma upazila.
Markets are closing early, reflecting the prevailing tension in the affected upazilas. The district administration has instructed hospitals to remain on high alert and prepare to provide prompt medical assistance to patients and the injured.
On April 2, over 100 men attacked the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma Upazilas Sadar area. As many as 20 people, including bank officials and security personnel, were assaulted, and the branch manager, Nezam Uddin, was abducted.
The following day, a group of armed robbers looted the Thanchi branches of Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank, stealing Tk 208,000 from Krishi Bank and Tk 1,500,000 from Sonali Bank. The robbers also fired shots near the banks to spread panic among the locals during the heist.
On Thursday night, Rumas Sonali Bank Manager Nezam Uddin was rescued by the Rapid Action Battalion. An hour-long gunfight broke out between the police and the armed men in Thanchi following his rescue. The Kuki-Chin National Front, also known as the Bawm Party, has been accused of involvement in the attacks.
