The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Sixty-eight fishermen abducted by pirates at different times from Kalirchar area of Satkhira range of the Sundarbans mangrove forests were rescued by BDR jawans in an overnight drive on Sunday.

BDR sources yesterday said a team led by acting BDR commander of Nildumur 7 Battalion Maj Alamgir Hossain Dewan was continuing the drive to rescue the rest of the abducted fishermen. When contacted, Maj Alamgir said pirates kidnapped a number of fishermen from Kalirchar, Puspakati, Mandarbaria and Haldebunia in the Sundarbans in the last few days.

Being informed, BDR launched the drive in the area Friday night. Sensing their presence, the pirates opened fire on the BDR team on Saturday forcing the border guards to fire back that triggered a gun-battle.

Later, BDR deployed three additional patrol teams in the Satkhira range.

BDR rescued the fishermen after the pirates fled the scene on Sunday at about 8:30pm. The rescued fishermen returned home, BDR sources said.

"The pirates apparently fled the area releasing the fishermen two days after an intense gunfight between the BDR and pirates in the forest," a Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) official told reporters.

The BDR and the fishermen said a gang of pirates demanded Tk five lakh ransom for the release of the hostages. Thousands of people enter the Sundarbans in groups for days every year to fish in the rivers, canals and creeks, while a number of criminal groups, some of them international ones, operate in the area abducting people for ransom.

At least seven pirates were killed in gun-battles with BDR in the last one year, while police and BDR sources earlier said the incidents of piracy reduced largely in the past several months in view of intensified security vigil.