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Friday | November 06, 2026 | Dhaka

5 rescues hostages in Sundarbans raids

 Bagerhat Correspondent
 Published: 12:02 AM, 05 November 2026

The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued five fishermen held hostage by bandits and seized a cache of firearms and ammunition in two separate operations in the Sundarbans.

Coast Guard West Zone Media Officer Lieutenant Commander Sabbir Alam Sujan disclosed the information in a press release issued on Tuesday evening.

According to the press release, a joint team from the Coast Guard stations in Koyra and Dobeki conducted a raid in the Gandhar Canal area of the Arshipsa River in Koyra around 4am on Tuesday.

Sensing the presence of the Coast Guard, the bandits fled the scene. During a subsequent search, the team rescued five hostages and recovered a dinghy, four locally made single-shooter guns, six rounds of live ammunition and 13 empty cartridges.

In a separate operation around 11am, teams from the Mongla and Nalian stations raided the Kumrokhali Canal area in Dacope.

The bandits managed to flee, but the Coast Guard recovered four single-barrel guns, one .22-calibre firearm, 20 rounds of live ammunition, 52 rounds of .22-calibre bullets and two magazines.

The rescued fishermen were identified as Zahurul Islam, 27, Faruk Gazi, 42, Rezaul Karim, 26, Nurul Huda, 23, and Hasan, 27. All are residents of Koyra upazila in Khulna.

The Coast Guard said legal procedures were underway to hand over the recovered weapons and ammunition to the relevant authorities and reunite the rescued fishermen with their families.

It also said special operations, including ‘Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans’ and ‘Operation Mangrove Shield’, would continue to eliminate banditry in the mangrove forest.