2 Sundarbans bandits arrested with weapons

The Coast Guard has arrested two active members of the notorious Sundarbans-based bandit group Karim Sharafi Bahini along with weapons and ammunition, and rescued four kidnapped fishermen.

Coast Guard Media Officer Lt. Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan provided this information on Sunday (May 17).

Coast Guard Lt. Ashiqul Islam, Executive Officer of BCGS Toufiq, briefed journalists at the Coast Guard Western Zone Headquarters in Mongla.

Under the direct instructions of the State Home Minister, two special operations named “Operation Restore in Sundarbans” and “Mangrove Shield” are being conducted under the leadership of the Bangladesh Coast Guard to eliminate all forest-based bandit groups active in the Sundarbans region.

As part of the continued success of these operations, two active members of the notorious Karim Sharafi gang were arrested along with arms and ammunition.

Based on secret information that members of the Karim Sharafi gang were staying near the Dhangmari Canal area of the Sundarbans under Dakop Police Station in Khulna, a special operation was conducted by the Coast Guard Base Mongla on Sunday (May 17) at around 4:00 PM.

During the operation, the robbers attempted to flee after sensing the presence of the Coast Guard. The operation team chased them and successfully arrested two active members of the Karim Sharafi gang along with one foreign-made single-barrel gun, two locally made single-barrel guns, and 24 rounds of live ammunition.

At that time, four fishermen who had been held hostage by the arrested robbers were rescued. Among them were Md. Rabiul Sheikh (30) from Rampal Upazila in Bagerhat district and Rajan Sharaf (20) from Morrelganj Upazila of the same district.

According to the Coast Guard, Rajan Sharafi, the second-in-command of the Sharafi gang, had long been involved in robbing ordinary fishermen in the Sundarbans and extorting ransom from them. However, it was noted that there is no murder case filed against Rajan Sharafi at Bagerhat Sadar Police Station.

The process of taking further legal action regarding the seized weapons and ammunition, the arrested robbers, and handing over the rescued fishermen to their families is currently underway.

The Coast Guard stated that such operations against bandits and their supporters will continue in the future to completely free the Sundarbans from criminal gangs.