40 forest pirates held, 46 arms seized in Sundarbans in a year

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has arrested 40 active members of different forest pirate gangs and seized 46 firearms in the Sundarbans over the past one year as part of ongoing anti-piracy drives.

The information was disclosed on Sunday afternoon by Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon.

He said the arrested pirates belong to several notorious gangs, including those led by Karim Sharif, Nana Bhai, Chhoto Suman, Alif, Dulabhai and Asabur.

During the drives, a total of 43 locally and foreign-made firearms, 10 rounds of live shells, 186 rounds of live bullets, 299 rounds of blank cartridges and two hand grenades were recovered. Several pirate hideouts were also identified and demolished.

In addition, 37 fishermen, two tourists and one resort owner were rescued during the drives and handed over to their families.

The Coast Guard official said they have been conducting special operations titled “Restore Peace in Sundarbans” and “Mangrove Shield” under the direct instruction of the Home Ministry to eliminate piracy from the region.

He added that joint patrols involving the Coast Guard, Navy, Police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are being carried out regularly in and around the Sundarbans to ensure security.

“Surveillance in the rivers and canals of the Sundarbans has been significantly increased, resulting in a sharp decline in piracy in the region,” he said, adding that such drives will continue to make the Sundarbans completely pirate-free.

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