Forest officials intercepted the group in a protected canal area of the Sundarbans after observing prohibited fishing and deer-trapping activities, with legal action underway against the suspects.
Bangladesh forest officials have arrested six suspected deer poachers and seized banned fishing nets, hunting traps and two wooden boats during an operation in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
The arrests were made on Saturday evening in the Haldi Khali canal area under the Charaputia patrol outpost of the Chandpai Range in the eastern Sundarbans. Officials said the suspects had illegally entered the forest to hunt deer and catch fish using prohibited nets.
Forest officials also seized a large number of circular traps used to catch deer, along with banned khalpata nets that threaten aquatic biodiversity in rivers and canals.
According to the Chandpai Range office in Mongla, forest officials received information at around 5:00 pm that a group of deer hunters had entered the Charaputia area. An operational team led by Asaduzzaman, a forester in charge of the patrol outpost, then headed to the Haldi Khali canal area.
During patrols, forest guards spotted several people behaving suspiciously deep inside the forest, in violation of the ongoing government ban on public entry into the Sundarbans.
The guards observed from a distance as the intruders used banned khalpata nets to catch fish in protected canals and laid traps behind clusters of keora and golpata trees to hunt deer.
After confirming the activity, the forest team took up strategic positions and surrounded the group. When the suspects noticed the officials and tried to flee by boat, the guards intercepted and arrested all six at the scene.
Preliminary investigations indicate that all six members of the group are professional poachers, officials said.
The arrested men were identified as Hezbullah Khandaker, Shamsul Haque, Tamez Sheikh, Sabuj Sheikh, Saud Sheikh and Nahid Sheikh. They are residents of different areas of Joymoni in Chila, under Mongla Police Station.
Dipon Chandra, assistant conservator of forests (ACF) for the Chandpai Range, said the suspects had attempted to enter the forest in defiance of restrictions to hunt deer and catch fish using prohibited nets.
“Our smart patrolling and the vigilance of the Charaputia outpost enabled us to catch this group red-handed,” he said.
Chandra said legal cases were being filed against the suspects under wildlife conservation laws. The seized boats, prohibited nets, deer traps and other equipment have been kept in the custody of the Charaputia patrol outpost.
Following legal procedures, the accused were scheduled to be sent to jail through the Bagerhat magistrate court on Sunday morning.
