Robbers early yesterday abducted about 135 fishermen and hijacked three trawlers in the coastal areas of the Bay of Bengal in Patuakhali and Bagerhat.
In Patuakhali, a gang of around 20 masked robbers on two trawlers attacked several fishing boats around 12:30am. They abducted around 100 fishermen and the boat drivers, said Shah Alam, a fisherman who managed to escape.
The goons also looted hilsa, fuel and cash from the trawlers in the Bay, some 20 to 25 kilometres off the coast in Kuakata, he added.
Among the abductees are Jalal Mia, 55, Anwar Hossain, 32, Kalam Mia, 55, Badol Mia, 55, Faruq Majhi, 40, Khorshed Majhi, 45, Kuddus Majhi, 35, Abdul Bareq, 35, Moti Majhi, 30, Harun Majhi, 45, and Alamgir Hossain, 40, reports our Patuakhali correspondent.
The gang identified themselves as members of “Sagor Bahini” and provided a mobile phone number (01763566040) to other fellow fishermen to communicate with their leader.
Lt Dipankar, staff officer of Bangladesh Coast Guard (south), said they were informed about the incident and already begun an operation to rescue the abductees.
Our Bagerhat correspondent adds: Armed robbers swooped on three trawlers and kidnapped about 35 fishermen near Fairway Buoy in the Bay of Bengal in Sharankhola upazila early yesterday.
They hijacked the trawlers and took the fishermen into the deep forest of the Sundarbans. Later they looted hilsa and fishing nets from the boats.
The robbers also demanded Tk 12 lakh as ransom from the owners of the trawlers, said Sheikh Idris Ali, general secretary of Bagerhat Coastal Matsyajibi Samity.
The gang beat up five fishermen as they tried to resist, he added.
Over 200 fishermen have been kidnapped by robbers for ransom from the Sundarbans and its adjoining coastal areas in the last three months.
-With The Daily Star input
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