Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested five individuals along with a huge amount of crabs which were caught illegally from Sundarbans on Friday night.
The arrested were identified as Tarun Sarkar, 26, Manjur Dhali, 40, Mohammad Jahangir Gazi, 38, Masum Billah, 24 and Mohammad Azad Sana, 56, residents of different areas of Kalabogi village under Nalian union under Dakop upazila in the district, adjacent to the Sundarbans.
Acting on a tip-off, Coast Guard personnel conducted a drive in the area at around 8 PM and arrested five crab traders along with illegally caught crabs.
They recovered 490 kg of illegally caught crabs worth Tk 539,000 from the spot.
Coast Guard West Zone media officer Lieutenant Commander Md Muntasir Ibne Mohsin confirmed the incident and said that the arrested individuals, along with the seized crabs, were handed over to local Forest Department on Saturday afternoon for further legal action.
He also assured such operations will continue in the future to protect the country’s forest and marine resources.
As per government directives, crab harvesting, buying, selling and transportation from the Sundarbans remain completely banned from January 1 to February 28 during the breeding season.
SMS/AM
