Sundarbans pirate 'Chhoto Suman Group' surrenders

Seven members of the notorious Sundarbans forest bandit group “Chhoto Suman Group,” including its leader Suman, have surrendered to the Bangladesh Coast Guard along with weapons and ammunition.

The surrender took place around 11am at the Coast Guard West Zone headquarters, where they handed over five firearms and 25 rounds of live ammunition to Zone Commander Captain Mezba Ul Islam on Thursday (May 21).

Officials from the Bangladesh Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh, police, forest department, Rapid Action Battalion, and various intelligence agencies were present during the event.

According to Coast Guard officials, two special operations — “Operation Restore Peace in Sundarbans” and “Operation Mangrove Shield” — are currently underway to eliminate forest bandit groups from the Sundarbans.

Due to these operations, several gangs have come under pressure, leading to the surrender of the Chhoto Suman group.

Officials said that on May 17, around 11pm, the gang leader Suman Howlader and his associates had already informally surrendered to the Coast Guard near Nandabala Canal in the Sundarbans area of Mongla, handing over three country-made single-barrel guns, two pipe guns, 25 rounds of live bullets and three blank rounds.

The formal surrender ceremony was later completed at the Coast Guard West Zone headquarters on May 21.

The surrendered members were identified as Suman Howlader, 32, Rabiul Mallik, 25, Rafiq Sheikh, 29, Siddiq Howlader, 40, Golam Mallik, 38, Ismail Khan, 31 and Mahfuz Mallik, 34. Six of them are from Mongla and one from Rampal.

Officials said that since February 12, under the ongoing operations, security forces have recovered 26 firearms, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and arrested 21 forest bandits.
During the same period, 20 people held hostage by the bandits were rescued alive and later reunited with their families after receiving medical care.