Six Bangladeshi fishermen have reportedly been abducted by Indian pirates from the Satkhira range of the Sundarbans on Wednesday.
Fishermen who returned from the forest, said the kidnapping took place between morning and noon in creeks along the Mamundo and Baikeri rivers.
Rashidul Islam, and Ataur Rahman were among those seized, while the identities of four others could not be confirmed.
Boat owner Mosharaf Hossain, however, verified the abductions.
All six abductees are residents of Kalinchi and Tengra Khali villages under Shyamnagar upazila.
Local fishermen alleged that a nine-member pirate gang, armed with four firearms and operating from an Indian vessel, attacked multiple boats, abducting two men in the morning and four more later from separate boats.
Nurul Haque, a fisherman from Tengra Khali, said he and two others had entered the Sundarbans with permits two days earlier.
Around 11am on Wednesday, pirates attempted to abduct them with a large boat. “We jumped ashore and fled into the forest, leaving the boat behind. The pirates only took the vessel,” he said.
Mosharaf Hossain further claimed that the abductors identified themselves as the Kajol-Munna gang.
He said survivors confirmed they were Indians, adding that three forest robbers arrested earlier in Jashore had admitted to sending ransom money to India.
The incident sparked tension in nearby villages.
Hundreds of locals, joined by police, attempted to chase the pirates on the border river but were stopped midway by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel.
Shyamnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Humayun Kabir Molla said, “Two weeks ago, three associates of the same gang were arrested in Jashore.
On Wednesday, we responded with villagers after receiving reports of the abduction, but had to return as we did not get clearance from senior BGB officials.”
