Photo: BSS

KHULNA, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Coast Guard recovered 38 firearms over the past year and arrested 49 forest pirates during intensified anti-piracy operations in the Sundarbans.

As part of the latest operation, Coast Guard members arrested notorious forest pirate gang leader Masum Mridha along with arms and ammunition from the Kailashganj area adjacent to the Sundarbans on Wednesday night, officials said.

His associate, identified as Ifaz Fakir, was also detained during the operation conducted by the Coast Guard West Zone.

During the raid, Coast Guard personnel recovered three locally made one-shot pipe guns, eight rounds of live ammunition, four empty cartridges, one Chinese axe, two locally made axes, one machete and one steel pipe.

Confirming the matter, Lt Commander Abrar Hasan, operations officer of the Coast Guard West Zone, said that on January 2 Masum's gang abducted the owner of Golkanon Resort along with two tourists while they were travelling by a wooden boat from the resort to the Kanur Khal area of the Sundarbans. The gang later demanded ransom from the victims.

Following information from the resort authorities, the Coast Guard launched a joint operation using intelligence inputs, drone surveillance and financial tracking. After a continuous 48-hour operation, the abducted resort owner and tourists were rescued unharmed, he said.

The officer added that Masum Mridha has long been a source of fear among fishermen and tourists and has been implicated in several incidents involving the abduction of fishermen from different areas of the Sundarbans.

He said forest pirate groups have been engaged in looting forest resources and kidnapping fishermen and forest-dependent people for years, causing serious damage to tourism, the ecosystem and the security of local communities.

As part of its mandated responsibilities, the Bangladesh Coast Guard has been conducting continuous anti-piracy operations since its inception, he added.

According to Coast Guard data, over the past year the West Zone recovered 38 firearms, two hand grenades, 74 locally made weapons, large quantities of weapon-manufacturing materials and 448 rounds of ammunition from the Sundarbans.

During the same period, 49 active forest pirates were arrested and handed over to police, while 52 men and women held hostage by pirate groups were rescued.

The Coast Guard official said several notorious pirate groups, including the Asabur, Hannan, Anarul, Manju and Ranga gangs, have been completely neutralized.

Efforts have also been intensified to suppress currently active gangs led by Karim Sharif, Jahangir and Dayal through increased patrols and enhanced intelligence surveillance.

He stressed that ensuring long-term security of the Sundarbans requires increased Coast Guard manpower, establishment of new stations at strategic locations, addition of high-speed boats and expansion of modern drone-based surveillance.