The Bangladesh Coast Guard has rescued four fishermen held hostage by the notorious Jahangir gang, a group of armed bandits operating in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "fishery treasure" of the southwest region.
The rescue operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday morning, based on secret intelligence reports.
According to Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haque, Coast Guard Media Officer, through a confidential source that the Jahangir gang had taken several fishermen hostage near the Arbauni canal, adjacent to the Shibsa River in the Sundarbans.
Acting on this information, a Coast Guard team launched an operation at around 5:00 AM. During the operation, the Coast Guard fired two warning shots calling for the bandits to surrender.
In response, the gang fled into the forest, leaving behind their boat and the hostages. Upon searching the boat, the Coast Guard recovered one single-barrel shotgun, two air rifles, and three live cartridges. The four abducted fishermen were also successfully rescued.
During initial questioning, the rescued fishermen revealed that they had been held captive for 10 days, during which the Jahangir gang tortured them to extort ransom.
The press release added that the Coast Guard will continue such operations in the future to make the Sundarbans free of bandits.
