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Five fishermen were reportedly abducted by forest robbers after a gang raided a fishing fleet sheltering in the Sundarbans due to rough weather in the Bay of Bengal.
The incident occurred around 8pm on Saturday in separate locations of the Sharankhola Range of the eastern Sundarbans. The robbers, identified as members of the Boro Jahangir gang, also took away a fishing trawler.
The abducted fishermen were identified as Jahangir Hawlader, 38; Shihab Hawlader, 35; Sabbir Hawlader, 30; Ripon Hawlader, 28; and Zakir Hawlader, 40. All are from Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat.
Forest officials and the fishermen’s boat owners have so far been unable to determine where the abducted men were taken or their current condition.
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Shalar Char patrol outpost in the Sharankhola Range, said several fishing trawlers had taken shelter in the Kalamia and Narkelbaria areas of Shalar Char after rough weather forced them to leave the sea.
Around 8pm, members of the Boro Jahangir gang reportedly raided the fleet and held the fishermen at gunpoint.
According to the forest official, the gang took three fishermen from one trawler owned by fish trader Babul Majhi, along with the vessel, and abducted two more fishermen from two other trawlers.
Babul Majhi said the gang had not contacted them since the abduction, leaving the families uncertain about the fishermen’s whereabouts.
“Since the abductors have not contacted us, we do not know where in the forest they have taken the fishermen,” he said.
The abductions have sparked anxiety among the fishermen’s families.
Coast Guard West Zone sources said the force remains alert to the activities of forest gangs in different parts of the Sundarbans. They said efforts to gather intelligence and launch an operation to rescue the abducted fishermen are underway.
