Bangladesh's Sundarbans forest plagued by pirate gangs

The criminal resurgence -- pushed by poverty and political chaos -- has again made Bangladesh's Sundarbans forest a dangerous and potentially costly place to operate, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Mandal, a 47-year-old crab hunter, was kidnapped and held captive for nearly a month before being released for a 40,000 taka ($370) ransom. “My family cried hard,” said Mandal, who asked to be identified by his first name for fear of reprisals, as he recalled his capture.

He and several other fishermen were sleeping on their boat when a gang stormed aboard, despite their employer having already paid extortion money to an armed group to protect them.

The attackers dragged the men onto another vessel and a gunfight erupted between the kidnappers and the fishermen´s protectors.

“At one point the two groups started exchanging fire like rain. I was hanging from the branch of a tree while others rushed into the jungle,” he said.

Investigative reporter Mohsin Ul Hakim, who helped facilitate the surrender of hundreds of pirates between 2016 and 2018, said many gangs operate as enforcers on the Sundarbans´ waterways.

“They (pirates) are hirelings of some big fish traders who through their bully boys keep control over the water mass of the Sundarbans,” Hakim told AFP.

Some pirates are linked to arms traffickers or are simply criminals. Young men, often driven by poverty and debts, join the bands to make quick money.