Coast Guard and Forest Department teams are conducting searches, including drone surveillance, as anxiety grows among fishermen and traders following the abductions.
There has been no trace of the 21 fishermen abducted by forest robbers in the eastern Sundarbans four days ago. No confirmed information has been found about where they are or what condition they are in. This has caused extreme anxiety among the families of the abducted fishermen and the boat owners. At the same time, fear of forest robbers has spread among other fishermen and fish traders who go to the Sundarbans to catch fish.
The Coast Guard is conducting an operation to rescue the abducted fishermen. Drones are being flown over the Sundarbans to identify the locations of the robbers and fishermen, while several teams are conducting searches along waterways. The Forest Department has also intensified patrols to ensure the safety of the fishermen.
Lieutenant Commander Mahabub Hossain, media officer of the Coast Guard’s Western Zone, said the Coast Guard is following a zero-tolerance policy to make the Sundarbans free of robbers under the government’s instructions. As part of this, an operation is underway to rescue the 21 abducted fishermen. Alongside the use of drones to identify the robbers’ location, searches are being conducted along waterways. He expressed hope that the fishermen would be rescued soon.
According to Coast Guard and Forest Department sources, forest robbers attacked fishermen in Narikelbaria, Amrbaria, Bhadra and Bhanga areas of the Sharankhola and Chandpai ranges of the eastern Sundarbans on Friday and Saturday nights. Members of three separate robber groups allegedly abducted 21 fishermen in separate incidents. A fishing trawler, five mobile phones and other belongings were also looted during the attacks.
On Saturday (September 26), unidentified forest robbers attacked fishermen who were fishing in the Bhanga, Amrbaria and Narikelbaria areas near the sea late at night. They took one fisherman each from different boats, abducting a total of 15 fishermen and taking them onto a trawler. Six fishermen had been abducted in separate incidents on Friday. In total, 21 fishermen were abducted in the two days.
Milton Roy, forest ranger and officer-in-charge of the Dubla patrol outpost under the Sharankhola Range of the Sundarbans East Forest Division, said the robbers attacked a group of fishermen fishing near the sea late Saturday night and abducted 15 of them. The identities of 10 of the abducted fishermen are known. They are Arif (25), Sagir (34), Mithu (30), Ferdaus (28), Ibrahim (35), Imran (25), Mostafizur (35), Al-Amin (28), Hanif (38) and Maruf (49). The first four are reportedly from Khulna.
Several fishermen and boat owners in the Sharankhola area, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the abduction of 21 fishermen in two days had spread panic among fishermen and fish traders. Fishermen going to the Sundarbans to catch fish are now feeling insecure. They called for urgent intervention by the law enforcement agencies to rescue the abducted fishermen quickly and suppress the forest robbers.
Mohammad Shariful Islam, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) of the Sharankhola Range of the eastern Sundarbans, said forest robbers had abducted 21 fishermen over Friday and Saturday. The matter has been reported to the higher authorities. The Coast Guard has also been informed. The Forest Department’s operation against the forest robbers is continuing.
He further said fishermen staying in the Sundarbans had been advised to stay in groups at night and remain close to forest offices. He also said officials and employees of Forest Department stations and patrol outposts had been instructed to increase patrols to ensure the safety of the fishermen.
