Remote Roangchhari den for armed criminals

10 gangs engaged in extortion, abduction, arms and drug smuggling

15 March 2009, 18:00 PM

Monirul Islam, Bandarban

Sophisticated arms including an M-16, an SLR, grenades and bullets seized in a remote area in Roangchhari under Bandarban hill district on Friday. Banglar Chokh File Photo

Criminal groups including intruders are using remote areas of Roangchhari upazila in the district as dens for conducting criminal activities like extortion, abduction for ransom and smuggling. Security forces during the last three weeks recovered sophisticated firearms like grenade launchers, M-16 rifles, sub machine guns (SMG), light machine guns (LMG), Ak-47, SLR and huge ammunition from remote areas of Roangchhari and arrested four people. “Armed members of different criminal groups from Myanmar enter the remote areas and force villagers to give them shelter, especially in jhum ghars (makeshift bamboo-made houses to supervise hill cultivation). They commit various crimes including abduction for ransom,” arrested Kew Mong of Aong Jaipara in Roangchhari upazila told the journalists. Intruders often extort villagers and wood traders from other areas and realise ransom after abduction, said several villagers of Aong Jai Karbaripara. Schoolteachers, VDP leaders, union parishad members, grass roots level political workers are often made targets for abduction, said a senior citizen in Roangchhari upazila said, adding that 13 indigenous people of the area were kidnapped in last two months. “We are living amid threat of abduction,” said a public representative. At least ten criminal groups are active in areas around 173km-long Bangladesh-Myanmar border, a source said, adding that a few of them, directed by foreign militant groups, are engaged in arms trading and smuggling. They are also involved in drug smuggling, officials said. Now they are gathering in Roangchhari area from where they can easily move into deep forests. During 2000 to 2005, BDR and joint forces seized huge arms and ammunition from Naikkhongchhari border areas. However, seizure of arms decreased during the last couple of years. Recently law enforcers destroyed a big poppy field near Myanmar border. Anti-arms and anti-smuggling drives will continue, an army officer of Bandarban army region said.