DIPANKAR ROY, Khulna

Following a successful campaign by the Rab to facilitate the surrender of robbers in the Sundarbans, the region was declared robber-free on November 1, 2018.

Between 2016 and 2018, 328 robbers from 32 groups surrendered, handing over 462 weapons and 22,504 rounds of ammunition, according to the Forest Department and police sources.

After the surrender, many robbers received financial assistance under a government rehabilitation programme.

However, lack of monitoring over the past few years saw several of these individuals return to criminal activities, including armed robberies targeting fishermen and honey collectors and abductions with demand for ransom, among others.

As such, the Sundarbans have again become unsafe for those who depend on the mangrove forest for their livelihoods.

Locals complained that several new groups -- Asabur Bahini, Sharif Bahini, Abdullah Bahini, Manjur Bahini, and Dayal Bahini -- have become active, particularly in the western Sundarbans, across Khulna’s Koyra and Dacope upazilas and Satkhira’s Shyamnagar upazila.

Additionally, some prisoners, including identified criminals, who managed to escape jail during the July uprising, have also joined these criminal activities.

These groups intercept fishing boats under the guise of forest officials, robbing fishermen of their catch, money, and valuables.

Fishermen who managed to escape captivity shared harrowing experiences

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