Bandits abduct resort owner, two tourists in Sundarbans

Bandits have abducted a resort owner along with two tourists from a resort-adjacent area of the Sundarbans.

The abduction took place on Friday afternoon, January 2, from the mouth of Kenuar Khal near the Ghagramari patrol outpost in the eastern Sundarbans.

The two abducted tourists have been identified as Md Sohel and Md Jony, while the abducted resort owner is Sripati Bachhar.

Md Rezowan Ul Haque Mithu, DMD of Sundarbans Eco Resort, said six tourists from Dhaka set out by boat on Friday afternoon with the owner of Golokanan Resort to explore a canal in the Sundarbans. Shortly before dusk, while returning to the resort, forest robbers forcibly took three people from the boat and released the remaining four.

As of 8:00 pm on Saturday, January 3, the three abducted individuals were still in the custody of the pirates. Rezowan Ul Haque said the bandits are demanding a large ransom from the captive resort owner and the two tourists.

According to available information, four tourists, including men and women, arrived in the Sundarbans from Dhaka on Friday and checked into Golokanan Resort in the Dhangmari area at noon. Later in the afternoon, a total of seven people, including resort owner Sripati Bachhar, went by boat to tour Kenuar Khal inside the forest.

Dhangmari station officer of the Forest Department, Surjit Chowdhury, said he had heard about the incident but could not yet confirm whether a pirate group had carried out the abduction.

Dacope police station OC Md Atikur Rahman said police, river police and the Coast Guard are conducting operations to rescue the abducted resort owner and two tourists.