21 Sundarban fishers rescued from pirates 

KHULNA, May 22: The Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 21 fishermen who had been held hostage by the notorious Dayal Bahini and Boro Jahangir Bahini during two separate drives in the Sundarban under "Operation Mangrove Shield".

Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon disclosed the information on Friday morning.
He said the Bangladesh Coast Guard has been maintaining a strict stance against all pirate groups active in the Sundarban in line with the directives of the present government.

As part of this effort, two special operations titled "Operation Restore Peace in Sundarban" and "Operation Mangrove Shield" are being conducted under the leadership of the Coast Guard.

Continuing the success of these operations, the Coast Guard conducted two separate drives under the seventh phase of "Operation Mangrove Shield" and rescued a total of 21 fishermen held hostage by the notorious pirate groups, along with recovering arms and ammunition.

According to the Coast Guard official, fishermen from Koyra in Khulna and Shyamnagar in Satkhira entered deep into the Sundarban to catch fish and crabs when members of the dreaded Dayal Bahini abducted them from areas adjacent to Firingi Khal and Kunchir Khal and demanded ransom.

Based on secret information, the Coast Guard came to know that the pirates were staying with the abducted fishermen near Andarmanik-er Tota and Keoratola Khal areas under Koyra Police Station.

Acting on the information, Coast Guard Station Koyra conducted a special drive in the area at around 4 am on Thursday. Sensing the presence of the Coast Guard, the pirates fled deep into the forest, making arrests impossible.

Later, Coast Guard members searched the area and rescued 10 fishermen held hostage by the Dayal Bahini.
In another operation, intelligence information from the Coast Guard and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) revealed that members of the notorious Boro Jahangir Bahini were staying near Boro Dudhmukh Khal of the Shibsa River in the Sundarban under Dakop Police Station in Khulna.

Based on the information, Coast Guard Base Mongla conducted another special drive in the area at around 5 pm the same day.

During the operation, the pirates opened fire targeting the Coast Guard team after sensing their presence. In self-defence, the Coast Guard personnel retaliated, forcing the pirates to flee into the deep forest.

Afterwards, the Coast Guard recovered one single-barrel gun, five rounds of live cartridges and one empty cartridge from the area and safely rescued 11 fishermen who had been held hostage by the pirates.

The process of taking legal action regarding the recovered arms and ammunition and handing over the rescued fishermen to their families is underway, the official added.

He also said the Coast Guard would continue such operations against pirates and their collaborators in the future to make the Sundarban completely free from piracy.