4 pirates killed in Rab 'gunfight'
Four pirates were killed in a “gunfight” with Rapid Action Battalion in the Sundarbans under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat yesterday.
The deceased, aged between 30 and 40, were members of Raju Bahini, a gang of local pirates, said Major Sabbir Osmani of Rab-8. Three of the four pirates were identified as Rawshan, Nati Kamrul and Belayet.
A team of Rab-8 on three trawlers were patrolling the area around 11:00am when they noticed suspicious movements of another trawler on the Bhoirav river near Dhanichabari of the upazila, said Lt Col Monirul Haque, commanding officer of Rab-8, who led the operation.
The Rab team challenged the trawler. Within sometime, passengers from that trawler fired on the law enforcers, prompting them to fire back. At one stage of the firing, the pirates entered a canal of the Sundarbans forest, anchored their trawler and fled.
Later, the Rab members recovered four bullet-ridden bodies from deep into the forest.
Six Indian-made and five Myanmar-made guns, one pistol, 24 bullets, eight cartridges, six sharp weapons and Tk 1 lakh cash were also recovered from the trawler of the pirates, Rab sources said.
Local fishermen identified the dead as members of notorious pirate gang Raju Bahini which regularly collects toll from fishermen in the coastal areas.
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