Princh Mondal Olif, Bagerhat District Correspondent
An attempt to rob a tourist vessel in the Sundarbans was foiled after forest guards opened fire at a group of suspected robbers who approached the vessel on a fishing trawler.
The incident took place around 9:00 pm on Saturday at the sea mouth of Katka Khal in the Katka sanctuary area of the eastern Sundarbans. At the time, two tourist vessels, The Wave-2 and Aralsi, were anchored in the area.
Tanvir Hasan Imran, officer-in-charge of the Katka Sanctuary Centre under the Sharankhola Range, said several unidentified people were approaching The Wave-2 on a motorised fishing trawler.
Some fishermen in the sea near the Katka mouth noticed the suspicious movement and informed the forest guards by mobile phone.
After receiving the information, forest guards quickly reached the area by boat. When the suspected group noticed their presence and tried to move away, the forest guards chased the trawler. At one point, they fired four rounds at the suspects.
The suspects then changed the direction of the trawler and fled towards the sea.
Tanvir Hasan Imran confirmed the incident around 11:00 pm.
Meanwhile, The Wave-2 and Aralsi are currently staying in the Katka area. According to Md Shamim Alam, master of The Wave-2, a total of 97 local and foreign tourists are staying on the two vessels.
Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Sundarbans East Division, said the incident was concerning as the suspected forest robbers approached a tourist vessel in Katka.
He said no such incident involving a tourist vessel had occurred in the area before.
The DFO also said the activities of forest robbers have increased recently in the Sundarbans. They have been taking fishermen hostage and demanding ransom.
Under the circumstances, he stressed the need for stronger night patrols by the Coast Guard in the Sundarbans to prevent forest robbery and ensure the safety of tourists and fishermen.
The movement of tourist vessels increases during the tourism season. The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of tourists in important tourist areas such as Katka.
News Published By:
Bangladesh Diary
Photo: .
