Bagerhat, Jan 04 (V7N) — A resort owner and two tourists have been abducted by an armed forest criminal group from the Sundarbans’ Chandpai Range, authorities and local sources confirmed on Saturday.

The abduction took place from the Kenur Khal area under the Dhangmari locality of the Sundarbans. Two of the abducted tourists are residents of Dhaka, though their current condition remains unknown.

Officer-in-Charge of Dacope Police Station in Khulna, Md. Atikur Rahman, confirmed the incident on Saturday night.

According to forest department and local sources, four tourists, including men and women, arrived in the Sundarbans from Dhaka on Friday. They booked an overnight stay at Golkanon Resort in the Dhangmari area. Later in the afternoon, the resort owner Sripati Bachar, along with the four tourists, went for a boat ride through a narrow canal inside the forest.

While traveling through a canal adjacent to the resort, armed forest criminals intercepted the boat and abducted five people, including two women. Later that night, the armed group released the two female tourists and sent them back to the resort. However, they kept the resort owner and two male tourists hostage.

The abductors have reportedly demanded ransom from the families of the hostages. The incident was confirmed by Uttam Bachar, the younger brother of the resort owner.

Dhangmari Forest Station Officer Surjit Chowdhury said he was aware of the incident but could not immediately confirm which forest criminal group was responsible for the abduction.

Following the incident, no tourist boats or visitors entered the resort area throughout Saturday. Local residents reported that fear and panic have spread among tourists and operators in the area.

OC Md. Atikur Rahman said a joint rescue operation involving Dacope Police, River Police and the Coast Guard is currently underway to recover the abducted resort owner and tourists. He identified the two tourists as Md. Sohel and Johnny, both residents of Dhaka.

The Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has previously witnessed incidents of abduction by armed forest gangs, raising ongoing concerns over tourist safety in the region.

END/MPS/SMA/