Members of the Coast Guard rescued four fishermen from the hideout of the notorious Sundarbans gang led by Jahangir, recovering weapons and ammunition in an operation early Friday.
The rescue took place around 5am in the Arbauani canal area near the Shibsa river. The fishermen had been held hostage for 10 days.
The rescued are Md Mofizul Islam, 42, and Md Habibur Rahman, 37, from Koyra, Khulna; Md Habibur, 35, from Dakop; and Shahjahan Gazi, 40, from Shyamnagar, Satkhira.
Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, Coast Guard media officer, said intelligence reports indicated Jahangir’s gang had taken several fishermen hostage in the area. Based on this, teams from Coast Guard Base Mongla and Outpost Nolian launched the operation.
The Coast Guard fired blank shots to demand surrender, prompting the gang to abandon their boat and flee into the forest, leaving the hostages behind. A single-barrel gun, two air guns, and three rounds of ammunition were seized from the boat.
The fishermen later told officials they had been tortured for ransom during their captivity. Legal procedures regarding the rescued fishermen and the seized arms are underway.
Lt Commander Haq said the Coast Guard will continue operations to keep the Sundarbans free of criminal activities.
