Seven members of notorious ‘Sumon Bahini’ including its chief have surrendered to the Bangladesh Coast Guard in the Sundarbans along with firearms and ammunition.
They surrendered around 11:00 pm on Sunday near Nandabala canal in the Sundarbans under Mongla upazila of Bagerhat, said a Coast Guard press release on Thursday.
The surrendered pirates are Soman Hawlader ,32, chief of the gang, Robiul Mallik,25, Rafiq Sheikh,29, Siddiq Hawlader, 40, Golam Mallik, 38, Ismail Khan, 31 and Mahfuz Mallik
,34. They are residents of different areas of Mongla and Rampal upazilas in Bagerhat district.
According to the Coast Guard, the gang had long been involved in piracy in the Sundarbans and used to abduct fishermen and forest-dependent people for ransom.
During the surrender, the pirates handed over five firearms including three locally made single-barrel guns, two pipe guns along with 25 rounds of live cartridges and three blank rounds.
Coast Guard Media Officer Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan said
continuous drives, intelligence surveillance and strict monitoring by the Coast Guard have significantly weakened pirate groups operating in the Sundarbans.
“As a result of regular operations and strong surveillance, pirate groups are failing to continue their activities in the Sundarbans,” he said.
He added that the Coast Guard is conducting two special operations titled “Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans” and “Operation Mangrove Shield” to eliminate forest-based criminal gangs and ensure the safety of fishermen, honey collectors, woodcutters and other forest-dependent
communities.
According to the Coast Guard, from February 12 to Thursday, special drives in the Sundarbans led to the recovery of 26 local and foreign firearms, 10 rounds of ammunition, 178 live cartridges, 25 blank cartridges, 187 air gun pellets and two walkie-talkies.
During the same period, 21 forest pirates were arrested and 20 fishermen held hostage by pirate groups were rescued alive, it said.
