11 fishermen returned after 7 days of hostage in Sundarbans
Eleven fishermen returned home on Friday evening after being held hostage for seven days by bandits in the Sundarbans, following the payment of a ransom of Tk 7 lakh.
On the night of May 3, bandits from the Jahangir Bahini abducted 11 fishermen from the Alorkol area of the eastern Sundarbans under Bagerhat district.
Three days after the abduction, members of the Sharif Bahini exchanged fire with the Jahangir Bahini and took the 11 fishermen into their custody, detaining them at an unknown location inside the Sundarbans.
Rubel Haladar (30), a fisherman from Uttar Rajapur village under Sharankhola Upazila, who returned after being released, said on Friday night that he and 10 other fishermen were abducted by the Jahangir Bahini from the Alorkol area on the night of May 3 and were kept in chains.
He added that on May 5, the Sharif Bahini exchanged fire with the Jahangir Bahini and snatched the fishermen from their custody, later holding them at an undisclosed location in the Sundarbans.
Finally, after receiving the ransom, the Sharif Bahini brought the 11 fishermen by boat on Friday morning and dropped them at the mouth of the Dhansagar Aryal River in the Sundarbans.
They then walked about ¾ kilometers to reach home.
Rubel said the Jahangir Bahini had brutally beaten them during captivity.
The other released fishermen are Chhagir (32), Rakib (23) of Uttar Rajapur village; Lutfar Hawladar (30), Badal Hawladar (33), Sajib Hawladar (27), Hafuzul (22), Alamgir Faraji (50), Yasin Hawladar (23), and Rubel (25) from the Padmasluice area of Patharghata Upazila in Barguna district; and Dev Chandra (25) from Batiaghata Upazila in Khulna district.
A fish trader, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the bandits initially demanded Tk 1 lakh per fisherman.
Later, after negotiation, the amount was reduced to Tk 70,000 per fisherman, which was sent through a bKash account.
Sharankhola Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saminul Haque said he was not aware of the incident.
However, he added that swift legal action would be taken if a complaint is filed with the police station.
