Pirates loot two vessels on Meghna injuring 13
Pirate gangs on the Meghna river raided a passenger trawler and a cargo vessel under Hizla upazila yesterday and injured 13 people.
The gangs looted cash Tk. 11 lakh, 26 mobile phones and goods worth about Tk. 12 lakh from the two vessels.
Privrtes of Boba Rattan Bahini are moving freely in the Megna and looting vessels, Rafiqul Islam, OC of Hizla PS said.
He said, a cargo vessel MV Titu-12 loading 1400 tones of clinker left Chittagong Port at about 7.30 am yesterday for Dhaka. It came under pirate attack in Sarbater Char area under Hizla upazila.
Abul Kashem, master of the cargo said about 20 pirates attacked the vessel, forced the crew to stop the engine in the middle of the river and took the cargo to their own spot.
They attacked the staff of the cargo and chopped 9 of them by lethal weapon, looted 11 mobile phones, cash 11 lakh taka, rice and other valuables, he said.
They also tried to kidnap five staff, he said.
Seriously injured cargo staff were identified as Imran Hossen, master Kabir Hossen, driver Abul Kalam and Ruhul Amin.
The master of the cargo further said Hizla police and Mehendiganj police did not accept their case.
"One police station sent us to another police station," he said.
In another incident, a passenger trawler came under pirate attack in Megna river in Abupur area under Hizla upazila yesterday at about 9am.
When the trawler boarding 30 passenges left Soula Ghat for Baderpur, pirates looted 15 mobile sets, cash Tk. 10 lakh from the passengers and also looted valuables worth about Tk. 10 lakh.
They chopped 4 including Nuruzzaman Akand, Saiful Islam, Jalil Piyada and Mamun Sikder.
Hizla police who visited the spot said maximum passengers of the trawler were businessmen.
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