Five Hostage Fishermen Rescued in Coast Guard Operation on Sundarbans' Arpangasia River, Arms Seized
A 'gunfight' took place between the Coast Guard and a robber gang known as 'Dada Bhai Bahini' in the Kanchir Khal area of the Arpangasia River in the Sundarbans. The incident occurred at midnight on Monday, 26 October. At one stage the robbers retreated and fled.
Five fishermen who had been held hostage were then rescued from the area. A single-barrel gun, ammunition and sharp weapons were seized at the time, the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard media officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan gave this information on Tuesday afternoon, 27 October. He said that, acting on information that 'Dada Bhai Bahini' had held several fishermen hostage in the Kanchir Khal area of the Arpangasia River in the Sundarbans under Shyamnagar police station in Satkhira to collect ransom, Coast Guard stations Koyra and Dobeki conducted a special operation in that area at midnight on Monday.
During the operation, the robber gang opened fire suddenly after sensing the Coast Guard's presence, the officer said.
He added that when Coast Guard members fired back in self-defence, the robber gang at one stage left the hostages behind and fled deep into the Sundarbans, so no one could be arrested.
A search of the area later seized one single-barrel gun, six rounds of blank cartridges and three locally made sharp weapons. At the same time, five fishermen held hostage by the robber gang were rescued alive.
The rescued fishermen are Rabiul Islam, 35, and Billal Hossain, 26, of Shyamnagar in Satkhira, and Alaul Islam, 32, Nawshen Moral, 41, and Shahinur Rahman, 28, residents of Koyra police station area in Khulna. Further legal action will be taken regarding the seized arms and blank cartridges. The rescued fishermen have been handed over to their families.
