5 arrested for attacking cargo ship on Kutubdia channel

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has recently arrested five people for allegedly attacking a cargo ship on the Kutubdia channel in the Bay of Bengal.

The arrestees are Md Abu Bakkar, 55, Md Mozammel Haque, 51, Mahmudul Karim, 42, Didarul Islam, 48, and Md Minar, 29. All of them are residents of Kutubdia police station area.

A RAB-7 team also seized three one-shooter guns from the attackers after they were arrested in a raid in Sikdarpara, Cox's Bazar on Wednesday.

"On 28 April, a group of pirates attacked a lighter ship 'MV Mercantile-54' owned by Meghna Group on the Kutubdia Channel and looted its goods," Major Mohammad Mostafa Zaman, company commander of RAB-7, told The Business Standard.

"The ship in-charge Md Dobhaash filed a case as the plaintiff. Later, on Tuesday night, five people in connection with the attack were arrested during a raid in Sikdarpara area under the Kutubdia police station," he informed.  

"There are several cases in the Kutubdia police station against the arrestees. Three one-shooter guns have also been seized from them," said Mostafa Zaman.

The local police said the main accused in the case Md Ismail, who has not been brought in police custody yet, used to work in Meghna Group but was later fired. He allegedly spearheaded the attack on the ship on 28 April in collusion with others.

The group allegedly vandalised the ship and looted Tk80, 000 along with some mobile phones, said police.