Members of the Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested a second-in-command of a robber gang along with arms and ammunition from the Sundarbans in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district on Monday night.
The arrestee is Md Abdus Samad Molla, 35, identified as the second-in-command of the notorious “Chhoto Sumon” gang.
According to Coast Guard media officer Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon, a team conducted the drive around 11:00pm on Monday as part of the ongoing “Operation Mangrove Shield” after receiving a tip-off. They arrested Abdus Samad Molla from the Shukunda Bazar area in Rampal upazila.
He said the arrest took place as part of continued operations in the Sundarbans region under the “Operation Mangrove Shield” initiative.
Following initial interrogation, Coast Guard members launched another operation around 2:00am on Tuesday in the Nandabala canal area of the Sundarbans under Mongla Police Station. They recovered one single-barrel gun, one air gun and two rounds of live cartridges from the spot based on information provided by the arrestee.
The arrested person is a resident of Rampal upazila in Bagerhat and had long been operating as the second-in-command of the gang, officials said.
Coast Guard officials added that legal procedures regarding the arms, ammunition and the arrestee are under process.
Lt Commander Sabbir Alam Sujon said operations will continue in the Sundarbans to make the region completely free of pirates.
