TDS Desk:

Individuals, believed to be the Arakan Army, have allegedly abducted four Bangladeshi fishermen at gunpoint, along with their trawler, from an area near the Naf River estuary in Teknaf upazila, Cox’s Bazar.

The incident occurred at around 11:30am on Tuesday (February 11) near Shahporir Dwip in Sabrang union, according to Lieutenant HM Sartaj Bin Sohrab, commander of the Coast Guard’s Shahporir Dwip Station.

The abducted fishermen have been identified as Md Hasan, 30, Abdu Rokim, 20, Md Jaber, 26, and Md Hasan, 16, all residents of Dakshinpara in Sabrang union, Teknaf.

Lieutenant Sohrab said the fishermen were out fishing as usual when armed individuals approached them in a speedboat from the Myanmar side.

Quoting locals, he said, the assailants surrounded the trawler at gunpoint and then took both the vessel and the fishermen inside Myanmar.

Locals later informed the Coast Guard of the incident, following which senior authorities, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and other relevant officials were notified.

“The Coast Guard has increased surveillance on the Naf River and launched a rescue operation for the abducted fishermen,” the official said.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin confirmed that he had received reports of the abduction from local representatives and residents.

“The BGB and relevant authorities are working to rescue the fishermen. Due to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, most of the areas across the border are under the control of the Arakan Army. It is believed that members of the Arakan Army may have carried out the abduction,” he said.

The BGB and the Coast Guard have intensified security and surveillance along the Naf River border in response to the incident.

Attempts to contact Lieutenant Colonel Md Ashiqur Rahman, commanding officer of Teknaf-2 Battalion of the BGB, were unsuccessful.