Members of the police and the army have relocated villagers from a remote locality in Ruma of Bandarban to shelters as they cordoned off a den of the separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
The joint forces began the operation in Lairunti Para and Eden Para on Wednesday night and cordoned off the den on Thursday morning.
Contacted, Officer-in-Charge of Ruma police station Md Shahjahan acknowledged the raid but did not give any details.
The joint forces started moving the elderly men, women and children to the Upazila Sadar around 6am. Since then, over 100 people have been kept on the premises of the Marma Welfare Association and the Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh hostel and given food, said association General Secretary Shoye Pru Ching and local sources.
Karbari of Lunjhuri Para Shoihlau Marma said women and children started coming to the welfare association building around 6-7am. There were around 10 elderly men.
The joint forces have so far arrested 55 people, including the chief coordinator of KNF. Among them, 19 are women and 36 men.
The joint combing operation led by the army was initiated after the bank heists and arms snatching by armed KNF members in Ruma and Thanchi.
The authorities have bolstered security measures by deploying four Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) from Dhaka and increasing the number of security personnel in the area.
On April 2, armed KNF members attacked Sonali Bank’s Ruma branch at around 8:30pm and looted arms from the police and Ansar. They also abducted the manager of the bank, who was later rescued by RAB.
In less than 24 hours, the KNF members attacked Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank in Bandarban's Thanchi around 12:30pm and looted Tk17,45,000 from cash counters and the customers.
On April 4, they opened fire at the Thanchi police station, creating panic in the area. It occurred around 8:30pm. After around four hours, armed men attacked a checkpost in the 26 Mile area of Alikadam Upazila.
