Eight fishermen jailed for catching hilsa

Police arrested ten fishermen in Chandpur Sadar and Haimchar upazilas in last two days on charge of catching mother hilsa during the ongoing ban period.

Two mobile courts sentenced eight of them to one year's imprisonment.

Police from Chandpur Model Police Station arrested eight fishermen while they were netting and selling mother hilsa in Laxmipur union under Sadar upazila yesterday morning.

Executive Magistrate Md Mahbubur Rahman, judge of a mobile court, awarded one year's jail to six of the arrestees -- Billal Gazi, 45, Rubel Khan, 30, Yunus Miji, 25, Abdul Gani, 75, Manu Majhi, 78, and Safiq Khan, 30, of Ramdasdi village under Laxmipur union in Sadar upazila.

Two others -- Shahin and Rubel, both under 18 years of age, were released after they gave undertaking not to do the illegal act again.

Police recovered three maunds of mother hilsa and 25,000 metres of current net from their possession.

Earlier at around 9:30pm on Saturday, Haimchar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Samar Kanti Basak awarded one year's jail term to fishermen Abdur Rahman, 36, and Md Zahir Gazi, 40, of Ilsanbala area in Neel Kamol union under Haimchar upazila, following their arrest on charge of catching mother hilsa.

The eight convicted fishermen have been sent to the district jail, said Chandpur District Fisheries Officer Asadul Baqui.