Police arrest ‘an operative of KNF’

Police have arrested an operative of the armed group Kuki Chin National Front (KNF).

The arrested individual, identified as Lal Lian Siam (57), was arrested last night (9 April), said Hossain Md Rayhan Kazemi, district additional superintendent of police (crime and administration).

The district police identified him as an operative of KNF, but the specifics of where he was arrested from have not been detailed.

"After being taken to the court this morning [10 April], he was ordered to be sent to the district jail. This brings the total number of arrests in the ongoing operation to 55," said Kazemi.

Earlier, several men and women from the Bom community were arrested from Ruma, Thanchi, and Bandarban Sadar in multiple operations by joint forces in connection with the bank robbery and weapon theft. 

A jeep driver named Kafil Uddin from Thanchi Sadar was also arrested. All were sent to jail by the court.

On 2 and 3 April, a group of armed men attacked three branches of Bangladesh Krisi Bank and Sonali Bank in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas of Bandarban within a span of 16 hours.

A manager of Sonali Bank's Ruma branch was kidnapped, and over Tk17.5 lakh was stolen from two bank branches in Thanchi. They also looted firearms from security officers of the banks. The robbers are suspected to be members of KNF.

KNF released the kidnapped manager after a hefty ransom was paid.

Later, the Bangladesh Army, the Rapid Action Battalion, the Bangladesh Police, and the Bangladesh Border Guard launched a joint operation to eliminate the KNF from Bandarban on Sunday.