SUNDERBANS ‘GUNFIGHT’ : 6 tiger poaching suspects killed

Six tiger poaching suspects were killed in a ‘gunfight’ with the police in deep forest of Mandarbaria area of the Sunderbans west division under Kayra upazila in Khulna on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Ansar Sana, 55, Siddik Sana, 45, Bappi Hossain, 25, Rafiqul Islam, 35, Majid Gazi, 30, and Mamun Gazi, 32, of Dakhkhin Bedkashi village under Kayra upazila in Khulna district, said Kayra police station officer-in-charge Harendranath Sarkar.
He claimed that they were the members of Sunderban robber gang – Ilias-Jahangir Bahini – that used to poach tigers and other animals in the Sunderbans and rob fishermen.
Forest officials in Khulna said that the Kayra police arrested seven poaching suspects and recovered three tiger hides from a house at Golkhali village under the upazila on early Sunday. They, however, did not disclose the names of the arrested people.
Harendranath, however, claimed that a team of Kayra police, arrested only Majid Gazi and conducted raid at places of the upazila to arrest tiger poachers and recover tiger-hide and illegal arms used by the poachers.
Majid finally confessed that their gang members were staying at a hideout in the deep forest at the northern side of Mandarbaria canal, he said, adding that a team of police of his police station started for the hideout, about 40 kilometres away in the south of the police station, around noon.
He said that as the police team reached near the hideout in deep forest with Majid, the poachers opened fire on them at about 3:45pm, he said.
Majid died on the spot as the poachers’ bullet hit him, he said.
He said that the police immediately retaliated by firing and during about half an hour gunfight 10 or 12 poaching suspects managed to flee.
Harendranath said that after the gunfight, they searched the area and found bullet-hit and severely wounded Ansar, Siddik, Bappi, Rafiqul and Mamun and seized three skins of tigers, five firearms, 17 bullets.
All the five died on their way to hospital, he said.
He said that six policemen including himself, sub-inspector Moniruzzaman, assistant sub-inspectors Mizanur Rahman amd Abdul Aziz and two constables were injured during gunfight.
Divisional forest officer Jahidul Kabir, also in charge of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation division of the Sunderbans, in the afternoon admitted to the arrest of seven poachers and recovery of three tiger hides but did not disclose names of the arrested poachers for unknown reasons, New Age correspondent in Khulna reported.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net