Unidentified miscreants threw 260 bee boxes into two ponds in Kalaroa upazila of Satkhira, killing honeybees.
The victim, Md Jahangir Alam, has filed a written complaint with Kalaroa Police Station. He estimates his loss at Tk20 lakh.
Kalaroa Police Station Officer-in-charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman confirmed the incident, saying police received a written complaint and have already inspected the scene.
According to the complaint, Jahangir brought 280 bee boxes by truck on 9 September and set them up in a mango orchard owned by Imamul Islam at Mirdanga village in Kalaroa upazila to collect honey. He was personally guarding and managing the boxes.
On Sunday, Jahangir guarded his boxes until 1am before going to sleep. Upon waking around 6am, he found that 260 of his 280 boxes had been thrown into two ponds adjacent to the orchard.
The bees, including queen bees, died after the boxes were submerged.
Speaking tearfully, Jahangir said the incident left him devastated. He said that although he visits the area every year for honey collection, this was the first time he had faced such sabotage.
In a similar incident in Kalaroa on 26 November last year, honeybees belonging to another beekeeper were killed using poison.
OC Mizanur said legal action will be taken.
