Robbers kidnap 40 more fishermen
20 trawlers looted in Sundarbans canal
Robbers kidnapped 40 fishermen and looted valuables worth Tk 5 lakh from 20 trawlers in Padmabati Canal in the West Sundarbans under Dakope upazila of Khulna district yesterday.
The fishermen, who escaped the robbery, said a gang of 15/16 bandits of “Mortaza Bahini' swooped on the trawlers, kidnapped the fishermen for ransom and looted fish, nets and other valuables.
The abducted fishermen hail from Bagerhat, Khulna and Barguna districts.
Trawler owners told the news agency that the robbers, while leaving the area, demanded Tk 50,000 for release of each of the kidnapped fishermen.
They also threatened to kill the abducted fishermen if their demand is not met within a week, the fishermen said.
Contacted, Md Zahir Uddin, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans West Zone, and Mihir Kumar Doe, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Sundarbans East Zone said the forest guards are carrying out operations to rescue the abducted fishermen and arrest the robbers.
On Friday evening, robbers belonging to “Shirsha Bahini” abducted 15 fishermen and looted valuables worth Tk 2 lakh from 10 trawlers in the Shela River of the East Sundarbans under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district.
Two of the kidnapped fishermen were identified as Monir Hossain and Najir Farazi of North Rajapur village in the upazila. The identities of the rest 13 could not be known as of yesterday.
The fishermen, who escaped the attack, said a gang of 10/12 robbers swooped on the fishermen while they were catching fish in the river.
Later, the robbers looted the valuables and abducted the fishermen for ransom. At least six fishermen were also injured as the robbers attacked them.
Fishermen said they are now afraid to go the deep sea for fishing as the number of robberies is on a rapid rise. They demanded that the government ensure their security.
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