40 robbers to surrender in Chattogram tomorrow

Around 40 robbers with weapons are expected to surrender to Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Chattogram tomorrow.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal is expected to be present at the surrender programme -- to be held in Banshkhali area in the port city -- according to Rab officials.

As part of the government's initiative to bring the robbers back to normal life, around 40 of them from Banshakli, Moheskhali, Kutubdia and Cox's Bazar area had expressed their desire to go back to normal life and surrender, Rab said.

Sohel Mahmud, an additional superintendent of police and also an officer of Rab-7, told The Daily Star today that the final surrender list is yet to be readied, but they are expecting that around 40 robbers would join the surrender programme.

"Of the 40, around six to eight are listed on the home ministry wanted list. They were active in Banshkhali, Moheskhali and Cox's Bazar area and are also involved in robbery on land," said the Rab official.

According to Rab sources, the robbers will surrender after handing over their weapons to senior Rab and police officials in the presence of the home minister as chief guest.

Rab officials said the members of the elite force had been working in the field for a long time to bring the robbers back to normal life.

According to a statistic provided by the Rab headquarters, around 326 members of 32 gangs in the Sundarbans had surrendered between May 31, 2016 to November 1, 2018, along with 482 weapons and a large quantity of ammunition. Now some of them are fishing, some are farming crabs and some are doing other work.

After the surrender, the government will provide Tk 1 lakh in cash and legal assistance to each of the former robbers for their rehabilitation.

Earlier, 43 robbers from the Moheskhali and Kutubdia area surrendered through Rab on October 20 of 2018.