A group of 16 Bangladeshi fishermen has been returned from the custody of Myanmar's armed group, the Arakan Army.
They were brought back following the effort of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).
The fishermen who returned are Mohammad Ismail, 27, Abdul Hafiz, 28, Azizur Rahman, 45, Abu Hena, 40, Ali, 40, Arafat, 30, Mohammad Helal, 28, Aman Ullah, 50, Nabi Hossain, 28, Mohammad Salimullla, 45, Mohammad Yunus, 52, Mohammad Sagar, 22, Mohammad Selim, 28, Dil Mohammad, 27, Rahim Ullah, 52, and Mohammad Zainal, 55.
According to the BGB, the fishermen had set out from the Nuniyar Char fishing harbor in Cox's Bazar to catch fish in the Bay of Bengal when they fell victim to an attack and robbery by pirates.
After being assaulted, the pirates imprisoned the fishermen on their trawler and abandoned the vessel, which then drifted to an island in Myanmar. The fishermen were subsequently taken into custody by the Arakan Army. After being held for six days, the BGB successfully brought them back on Monday evening through the Shapuree Island border on the Naf River.
These details were shared by Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Mohiuddin Ahmed, commander of the Teknaf-2 BGB Battalion, at a press conference held at the battalion's office on Tuesday afternoon.
During the press conference, Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed stated that on the morning of September 28, the 16 fishermen went out to sea on a trawler from Nuniyar Char fishing harbor. On the evening of October 5, a group of pirates attacked them in three trawlers, assaulting them before imprisoning them on their vessel.
The pirates released the fishermen on an island in Myanmar's part of the Bay of Bengal on the morning of October 7.
He further explained that a BGB delegation from the Teknaf Battalion contacted the Arakan Army, and subsequently, the fishermen were brought back to Bangladesh through the Shahpari Island jetty on the Naf River.
The returned fishermen were handed over to their relatives earlier in the afternoon, as reported by Lieutenant Colonel Mohiuddin Ahmed.
