Four abducted fishermen buy freedom

Four of the 50 fishermen who were abducted by robbers in the Bay about a month ago have bought freedom by paying good amounts as ransom.

Several others are still in captivity for failing to meet the criminals' demand while 37 of the abductees have remained missing as no gang claimed responsibility for their abduction or demanded anything for their release, said fish traders and trawler owners.

The four freed fishermen are Sona Mia, 45, of Gangamati village, Nurul Haque, 42, of Khajura village, Shukkur Ali, 40, of Fashipara village, and Nizam Majhee, 42, of Mohipur village under Kalapara upazila.

"After getting ransom, robbers brought the four fishermen to a canal side under Pathorghata Police Station on Tuesday. In the evening, they reached Mohipur Bazar, a fish landing station in Kalapara upazila under Patuakhali district, by FB Sagor that had been hijacked and later returned by the robbers," said Ansar Uddin Mollah, general secretary of Alipur-Mohipur fish trading association.

They went home after taking primary treatment at 20-bed Kuakata hospital.

"I heard that Shukkur Ali (with trawler), Sona Mia, Nurul Haque, and Nizam Majhee had to pay Tk 4 lakh, 3 lakh, one lakh and 80 thousand respectively as ransom," Molla said.

"A few other fishermen who were also abducted from different trawlers on the same day, including Amir Hossain, 35, Ruhul Amin, 40, Bazlur Rahman, 36, Nayeem, 30, and Kamal Majhee, 40, are still confined by the gang as they failed to pay ransom.

"Most of 37 missing fishermen are from Cox's Bazar area and their trawler owners are now staying in Kuakata area to search for them," he said.

Md Moniruzzaman, OC (Inquiry) of Kalapara Police Station, said a case was filed accusing unnamed people in this regard and investigation is on.

Contacted, coastguard official Md Anisur Rahman of Nizampur camp in Kalapara said, "I heard that four fishermen came back after paying ransom to the robbers. Usually we patrol around 20 to 30 km from the coast in the Bay. The area where from fishermen were abducted is outside our coverage."