Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued 21 hostage fishermen from notorious Sundarbans bandit groups during Operation Mangrove Shield, recovering firearms and ammunition after separate operations in the forest region.
Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued 21 fishermen held hostage by two notorious bandit groups during separate operations in the Sundarbans under the ongoing “Operation Mangrove Shield”, officials said Friday.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan said the fishermen were rescued along with arms and ammunition during operations targeting the Dayal Bahini and Bara Jahangir Bahini groups.
According to the Coast Guard, the government has taken a strict stance against forest pirates operating in the Sundarbans region. As part of that effort, the force has been conducting two special drives titled “Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans” and “Operation Mangrove Shield”. Authorities said the latest mission marked the seventh phase of Operation Mangrove Shield.
The fishermen, residents of Khulna’s Koyra and Satkhira’s Shyamnagar police station areas, had entered deep parts of the Sundarbans to catch fish and crabs when members of the Dayal Bahini allegedly abducted them from areas near Firingi Canal and Kunchirkhal and demanded ransom.
The Coast Guard later received intelligence that the gang members were staying with the hostages near the Tota and Keoratola canals in the Andarmanik area under Koyra police station.
Based on the information, Coast Guard Base Mongla launched another special operation in the area at around 5:00 pm the same day.
During the raid, the bandits reportedly opened fire after sensing the presence of Coast Guard personnel. The Coast Guard team retaliated in self-defense, forcing the robbers to flee deeper into the forest, officials said.
After searching the area, Coast Guard members recovered one single-barrel gun, five rounds of live cartridges and one round of blank cartridges. Eleven fishermen who had been held hostage were also rescued safely.
Authorities said legal procedures over the seized weapons and ammunition are underway and arrangements are being made to return the rescued fishermen to their families.
Sujan said the Coast Guard would continue such operations against bandits and their supporters to completely free the Sundarbans from piracy and armed criminal groups.
