The wave of mob lynching in the remote char areas of Noakhali spilled onto the fifth day yesterday, as two more alleged jungle robbers were beaten dead yesterday while another was killed late Wednesday by angry villagers.

The latest deaths in mob beating in the char areas have pushed the toll to 37 in five days. Eight robbers were killed on Sunday, 19 on Monday and four each on Tuesday and Wednesday by frenzied villagers, most of whom have long been subjected to looting, murder and rape by the robbers.

Villagers still roaming the jungles with lethal weapons caught and beat dead Hafez Jallad, 35, and Shahid, 32, said to be operatives of the infamous Bashar Majhi gang, in

east Char Bata early Thursday when they were fleeing their hideouts in the deep forest.

Thousands of vengeful villagers are joining the manhunts with the joint forces of paramilitary BDR, police and coastguards only to take the law into their own hands as the local administration apparently reluctant to save the suspected robbers from lynching. During a visit to the areas on Wednesday, the correspondent found almost no initiative on the part of the policemen to save the victims.

A mob caught 19 alleged robbers in Char Langalia and seven others in Bayar Char areas yesterday as they were fleeing their hideouts in the wake of the joint combing operation. Police and locals said they chased 25 to 30 operatives of Bashar Majhi band from Char Jahajia to their previous deep forest hideouts at Caring Char yesterday, bit could not catch them.

Another alleged jungle robber, Ayub Ali, 38, surrendered to Shantirhat police at Char Bata yesterday. Police also recovered an abandoned motorcycle during a raid at a hideout of Bashar Maji gang at Janata Bazar near Char Bata yesterday.

Superintendent of Police of Noakhali Mejbahunnabi said 105 operatives of the four gangs have been arrested since the combing operation started on December 6. He also said 12 firearms and a good number of bullets were also seized.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed visited the char areas yesterday and urged people to co-operate with the local administration to eject robbers from their deep forest hideouts peacefully rather than take the law into their own hands.