260 tonnes coal seizedOur Correspondent

BAGERHAT, Oct 19: The Forest Department has seized a cargo vessel carrying an estimated 260 tonnes of Indonesian coal from a river inside the Sundarban and detained nine people on board over suspected illegal transportation of coal through the protected forest.

The vessel was intercepted in the Bhola River in the Sharankhola Range of Bagerhat on Sunday afternoon, officials said. Mohammad Shariful Islam, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) for the Sharankhola Range in the eastern Sundarbans, confirmed the seizure on Monday.

The detainees were identified as Tarikul Islam, 34; Dulal Hawladar, 34; Sumon Talukdar, 21; Nurnabi, 30; Enayet Karim, 40; Mohammad Obaidul, 22; Mamun, 22; Mohammad Layek Mia, 50; and Kabir Hossain, 30. They are from different areas of Mongla and Morelganj in Bagerhat, Bhandaria in Pirojpur and Brahmanbaria.

According to the Forest Department, forest guards were conducting a routine patrol on the Bhola River under the leadership of Shyama Prasad Roy, officer-in-charge of the Sharankhola Forest Station, when they spotted the coal-laden vessel.

Suspecting irregularities in its movements, the guards stopped the vessel and questioned those on board. The occupants were unable to identify the coal’s actual owner, prompting the authorities to seize the vessel and detain the nine people.

During preliminary questioning, the detainees reportedly told officials that the coal had been loaded onto the cargo vessel from a mother ship.