5 fishermen abducted with trawler in Sundarbans

Five fishermen were abducted by a gang of forest robbers after armed men raided fishing boats taking shelter in the Sundarbans amid rough weather, officials said.

The incident took place around 8:30pm on Saturday (22 August) in the Shylar Char and Narikelbaria areas of the Sharan­khola Range of the Eastern Sundarbans, according to forest officials.

The abducted fishermen were identified as Jahangir Howlader, 38, Shihab Howlader, 35, Sabbir Howlader, 30, and Ripon Howlader, 28, all from South Rajapur village in Sharan­khola upazila of Bagerhat, and Zakir Howlader, 40, from North Rajapur.

Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Shylar Char patrol outpost, said several fishing trawlers had taken shelter in the Kalamia and Narikelbaria areas after leaving the sea due to rough weather.

"At around 8:30pm, armed members of the Bor Jahangir gang raided the fishing boats. Holding the fishermen at gunpoint, they abducted three fishermen along with a trawler owned by fish trader Babul Majhi, and two others from two separate trawlers," he said.

He said the matter had been reported to the higher authorities after receiving information about the abductions.

Babul Majhi, the owner of the trawler, said the gang had not contacted them since the abduction. The families of the fishermen are worried as their whereabouts remain unknown.

Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of the Eastern Sundarbans, said they had been informed about the abductions and were monitoring the situation.

"The matter has been reported to the Coast Guard's West Zone. As the activities of forest robbers have suddenly increased, the Coast Guard and forest department have intensified joint patrols," he said.