Farewell to arms for Sundarbans gang

The gang leader of “Master Bahini”, Md Mostafa Sheikh alias Master Mostafa, and nine associates are going to surrender to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-8 today. According to RAB sources, “Master Bahini” is one of the most notorious gang of robbers operating in the Sundarbans. Speaking to The Independent yesterday, commanding officer (CO) of RAB-8 Lt-Col. Mohammad Faridul Alam said the 10 robbers will surrender with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, around 1.30pm, at the BFDC fishing ghat in Mongla. Home minister Md Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and director-general (DG) of RAB, Benazir Ahmed, will fly to Mongla by helicopter, to attend the event, he said.
Lt-Col. Alam informed that “Master Bahini” had let loose a reign of terror in the Sundarbans by kidnapping fishermen, mouals (honey collectors) and baoalis (wood cutters) for ransom. “We hope that the fishermen, mouals and baoalis will be able to operate peacefully in the forest, after the surrender of the Master Bahini robbers,” he added.
The senior law enforcer said Master Mostafa had written to the home minister and the RAB DG on May 3, requesting that steps be taken for the surrender of gang members, as they would like to return to normal life.
The gang leader wrote: “We are members of Master Bahini. We have been carrying out banditry in the Sundarbans for a long time. After realising our follies, we have decided to surrender. We will also surrender everything in our possession, including arms and ammunition. We request you to take steps so that we can return to normal life.”
According to sources, there are at least 18 robber gangs operating in the Sundarbans, including “Majnu Bahini”, “Sagar Bahini”, “Raju Bahini” and “Jahangir Bahini”.
All the gangs possess modern arms and ammunition, and they collect money from fishermen, honey collectors, and wood cutters. Each of these gangs has its own area of operations and nobody can enter the Sundarbans without a “token” given by them in lieu of a monthly payment. Local people said the robbers collect anything between Tk. 3,000 and Tk. 200,000.
At present, the RAB and Bangladesh Coast Guard provide security in and around the Sundarbans.

 

Farewell to arms for Sundarbans gang

The gang leader of Master Bahini, Md Mostafa Sheikh alias Master Mostafa, and nine associates are going to surrender to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-8 today. According to RAB sources, Master Bahini is one of the most notorious gang of robbers operating in the Sundarbans. Speaking to The Independent yesterday, commanding officer (CO) of RAB-8 Lt-Col. Mohammad Faridul Alam said the 10 robbers will surrender with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, around 1.30pm, at the BFDC fishing ghat in Mongla. Home minister Md Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and director-general (DG) of RAB, Benazir Ahmed, will fly to Mongla by helicopter, to attend the event, he said. Lt-Col. Alam informed that Master Bahini had let loose a reign of terror in the Sundarbans by kidnapping fishermen, mouals (honey collectors) and baoalis (wood cutters) for ransom. We hope that the fishermen, mouals and baoalis will be able to operate peacefully in the forest, after the surrender of the Master Bahini robbers, he added. The senior law enforcer said Master Mostafa had written to the home minister and the RAB DG on May 3, requesting that steps be taken for the surrender of gang members, as they would like to return to normal life. The gang leader wrote: We are members of Master Bahini. We have been carrying out banditry in the Sundarbans for a long time. After realising our follies, we have decided to surrender. We will also surrender everything in our possession, including arms and ammunition. We request you to take steps so that we can return to normal life. According to sources, there are at least 18 robber gangs operating in the Sundarbans, including Majnu Bahini, Sagar Bahini, Raju Bahini and Jahangir Bahini. All the gangs possess modern arms and ammunition, and they collect money from fishermen, honey collectors, and wood cutters. Each of these gangs has its own area of operations and nobody can enter the Sundarbans without a token given by them in lieu of a monthly payment. Local people said the robbers collect anything between Tk. 3,000 and Tk. 200,000. At present, the RAB and Bangladesh Coast Guard provide security in and around the Sundarbans.