28 fishermen arrested along with trawlers, boats from Dublarchar

Bagerhat Correspondent :

Some 28 fishermen were arrested along with 4 trawlers and 4 fishing boats from two separate places of Dublarchar area under Sharankhola Forest Range in the Eastern Division of Sundarbans (in Bagerhat district) on Tuesday by the forest guards.

At that time 15 maunds crabs were seized by the forest guards, according to a report received here.

The fishermen were arrested on the charge of entering into the forest and caching crabs and fish defying the ban order imposed on the entrance of any body else and catching fish and crabs from the forest by Sundarbans forest department.

Source of the Forest Department that a skilled squad of forest gauds led by Shaikh Mahbub Hasan (ACF), Officer-in-charge of Sharankhola Forest Range raided Nilbaria canal area of Dublarchar in Tuesday and arrested 12 fishermen along with 4 boats while they were catching crabs from the Nilbaria canal illegally.

At that time 15 maunds crabs were seized from the boats by the forest guards. The arrested fishermen hail from the different places of Morrelganj Upazila in Bagerhat district.

Another report states that at Tuesday night at about 4 am some 16 fishermen were arrested along with 4 trawlers from Ambaria area at Dublarchar under Sharankhola Forest Range by the forest guards while they were catching fish from there. At that time the forest guards seized the fishing nets.

The arrested fishermen hail from the various places under Patharghata Upazila in Barguna district. It was disclosed by the forest guards.

Shaikh Mahbub Hasan ( ACF ), Range Officer of Sharabankhola in the Eastern Division of Sndarbans told, at present the catching of crabs and fish from Sundarbans is strictly prohibited, The Officer added, after lodging 2 separate cases with the local PS on the charge of catching crabs and fish from Sundarbans under Forest Act the arrested fishermen were sent to the court.