Police have arrested the alleged leader of a pirate gang in Chittagong a day after his crew kidnapped for ransom 19 fishermen from Noakhali’s Hatia Upazila.
Published : 22 Jul 2015, 06:19 PM
The fishermen’s trawler came under attack and they were taken hostage on Tuesday afternoon from the Bay of Bengal’s Sangu gas fields area, 40 kilometres southwest from Nijhum Dwip, a small island under the Upazila.
Police or coastguards did not find them or the pirates’ whereabouts until Wednesday afternoon.
However, a Detective Branch team nabbed Abul Kalam, 45, the ‘leader’ of the pirate gang, ‘Kalam Bahini’, early in the morning from Chittagong’s Bandartila, said Noakhali’s Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jasim Uddin Chowdhury.
He is suspected to have been involved in other incidents of kidnaps of fishermen and murder in the past.
ASP Chowdhury said Kalam was being interrogated about the whereabouts of the 19 fishermen.
Coastguards’ Hatia contingent Commander Amzad Hossain told bdnews24.com after taking them hostage, the pirates had demanded ransom from the trawler owner and families of the fishermen.
Trawler owners’ association chief Md Rashed Khan said the pirates had demanded Tk 500,000 as ransom.
Commander Hossain said the coastguards were working to find the pirates’ hideout.
A gang of pirates had kidnapped 18 fishermen with two trawlers from the sea on July 12.
They later released the hostages after the families paid the ransom via bKash, a mobile system for cash transaction.