Coast Guard rescues 21 fishermen from Sundarbans

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has rescued 21 fishermen who were held hostage by two separate bandit groups in the Sundarbans while fishing in the forest, officials said on Friday.

The information was confirmed at a press briefing held at the Coast Guard West Zone headquarters in Mongla on Friday morning.

According to the briefing, fishermen from Khulna’s Koyra and Satkhira’s Shyamnagar entered the deep forest to catch fish and crabs when members of the “Dayal Bahini” abducted them from areas adjacent to Firingi Khal and Kunchir Khal, demanding ransom.

Based on intelligence information, the abducted fishermen were later found to be held in the Andar Manik area near Totea and Keoratala canal under Koyra police station.

In a special operation conducted early Thursday at around 4:00 AM, Coast Guard Station Koyra launched a raid in the area. Sensing the presence of the Coast Guard, the bandits fled into the forest, leaving behind 10 fishermen who were subsequently rescued, although no arrests were made.

In a separate operation based on intelligence from the Coast Guard and RAB, another group of fishermen was found to be held by the “Boro Jahangir Bahini” in the area adjacent to the Shibsa River’s Boro Dudhmukh canal under Dakop police station in Khulna.

A second operation was conducted by Coast Guard Base Mongla at around 5:00 PM the same day. During the operation, the bandits reportedly opened fire on the law enforcement team, which responded in self-defence. The attackers then fled into the forest.

Following a search operation, Coast Guard personnel recovered one single-barrel gun, five rounds of live ammunition, one blank cartridge and rescued 11 more fishermen.

In total, 21 fishermen were safely rescued from captivity in the two separate operations, the Coast Guard said.

Authorities said legal procedures regarding the seized arms and ammunition are underway, while arrangements are being made to hand over the rescued fishermen to their families.

Officials added that operations will continue to eliminate all bandit groups and their collaborators from the Sundarbans.

JU/AM