Coast Guard rescues five fishermen, seizes arms and ammunition

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued five fishermen held hostage by the Sattar gang and seized a large cache of firearms and ammunition in two separate operations in the Sundarbans.

Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan disclosed the information on Tuesday.

He said the operations, named ‘Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans’ and ‘Operation Mangrove Shield’, were being conducted to eliminate forest-based pirate gangs and ensure security in coastal areas.

Acting on a tip-off, Coast Guard stations at Koyra and Dobeki launched a joint operation around 4:00 AM on Tuesday in the Gandhar Khal area of the Arshipasha River in Koyra upazila of Khulna. The Coast Guard had received information that members of the Sattar gang had held several fishermen hostage for ransom.

Sensing the presence of the Coast Guard, the pirates fled deep into the forest, leaving the hostages behind. No one was arrested.

A search of the area led to the recovery of four locally made one-shooter guns, six live cartridges and 13 blank cartridges from a dinghy. The five hostages were also rescued alive.

In a separate operation, the Coast Guard received intelligence that an armed group of pirates was preparing to commit robbery near Kumrakhali Khal in the Sundarbans under Dacope upazila of Khulna.

Acting on the information, Coast Guard Base Mongla and Station Nalian conducted a joint operation in the area around 11:00 AM.

The pirates again fled into the forest after sensing the Coast Guard's presence. No one was arrested or identified.

A subsequent search recovered four single-barrel guns, one .22-calibre rifle, 20 live cartridges, 52 rounds of .22-calibre ammunition and two magazines. The weapons and ammunition had been concealed using a special technique.

The rescued fishermen were identified as Zahirul Islam, 27, Faruk Gazi, 42, Rezaul Karim, 26, Nurul Huda, 23, and Hasan Gazi, 27. All are residents of Koyra upazila.

The Coast Guard said legal procedures regarding the seized firearms and ammunition were under way, while arrangements were being made to hand over the rescued fishermen to their families.

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