Photo : BSS

KHULNA, Jan 5, 2026 (BSS) – Tourists and a resort owner, who were held hostage by a gang of pirates in the Sundarbans, have been rescued in a joint operation conducted by the Coast Guard with support from the Navy, police, and RAB.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq, media officer of the Coast Guard, disclosed the information this morning.

He said that on Friday (January 2) at around 3 pm, seven people—five tourists, a boatman, and the owner of Golkanon Resort—were abducted by a pirate gang led by Masum Mridha while travelling by a wooden boat in the Kanur Khal area adjacent to Golkanon Resort in the Sundarbans.

The pirates later released three tourists and the boatman but took two tourists and the Golkanon Resort owner to an undisclosed location in the Sundarbans, demanding ransom. The resort authorities subsequently informed the Coast Guard.

Based on the information, joint forces intensified combing operations and intelligence surveillance across different areas of the Sundarbans, the Coast Guard official said.

During the operation, on January 3, three associates of pirate Masum—Kuddus Hawladar, 43, Salam Box, 24, and Mehedi Hasan, 19—were arrested from different areas adjacent to Golkanon Resort in the Sundarbans.

Later on Sunday, another associate, Alam Matabbar, 38, was arrested from the Kailashganj area of the Sundarbans.

On the same day, acting on intelligence surveillance and tracking financial transactions, Masum’s mother Jaynabi Bibi, 55, and bKash agent Ayon Kundu, 30, were arrested along with Tk 81,400 in cash while withdrawing the ransom money.

Subsequently, at around 7 pm on Sunday (January 4), the two hostage tourists and the Golkanon Resort owner were safely rescued from the adjacent Gazi Fisheries area of the Sundarbans using drone surveillance.

Lieutenant Commander Siam-ul-Haq said efforts are ongoing to arrest the main pirate Masum Mridha, and intelligence operations and raids are continuing.

He added that the rescued tourists are being handed over to their families, while the arrested pirate associates are being transferred to the respective police stations.

The Coast Guard will continue such operations to ensure the safety and security of tourists and the general public in the Sundarbans and coastal regions, he said.