2 fishermen abducted by Arakan Army from Naf river

Two Bangladeshi fishermen have been abducted along with their boat by the Arakan Army, an armed rebel group from Myanmar, from the Naf River near the Whykong border in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar.

The incident took place in the Boga Island area of the Naf River in Whykong Union on Wednesday (April 23).

The abducted fishermen are Badsha Alam, 45, son of Abdul Hakim, and Abul Kalam, 40, son of Rashid Ahmed, both from the Balukhali area of Whykong.

Sirajul Mostafa, a member of the Whykong Union Parishad, confirmed the incident. He said, “Like every day, the two fishermen went to catch fish in the Naf River with their boat. At that time, members of the Arakan Army came from Myanmar, held them at gunpoint, and took them away along with the boat. Such incidents have created panic among the fishermen.”

Local resident Mohammad Mahfuz said, “Because of the Arakan Army, the fishermen are living in great fear. These kinds of abductions happen quite frequently.”

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Sheikh Ehsan Uddin said, “We have just learned about the abduction of the fishermen. We are currently looking into the matter.”