DHAKA, Jan 12, (V7N) – Law enforcement agencies have intensified efforts to capture the armed pirates who hijacked an oil tanker and looted 350 metric tonnes of furnace oil, authorities confirmed on Sunday, three days after the brazen attack.

The vessel, OT Bin Zaman-1, carrying over 360 metric tonnes of furnace oil, was ambushed early Friday at the Dhaleshwari-Shitalakkhya river confluence near Char Mukterpur in Munshiganj. The stolen oil, valued at approximately Tk 3.5 crore, belonged to Summit Group and was being transported by King Fisher Shipping Company.

The oil tanker, en route from Summit Power in Narayanganj’s Madanganj area to Summit Power in Gazipur, was attacked around 6:00 am. Six armed, masked pirates, one of whom was called "Dalim," boarded the moving vessel, overpowered the six crew members at gunpoint, and confiscated their mobile phones and valuables.

The crew, including captain Saizul Islam, was blindfolded and locked in the engine room as the pirates seized control of the ship. After siphoning off nearly the entire cargo of furnace oil, the hijackers abandoned the tanker near the Meghna Bridge around 8:30 pm and escaped.

The shipping company lost contact with the vessel during the ordeal, prompting Manager Fazlul Ahmed to notify law enforcement. Using mobile tracking, police located the ship near Meghna Bridge by 8:00 pm Friday. River Police, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), and company officials boarded the ship and rescued the crew, though the pirates fled upon sensing police presence.

A case was filed on Saturday at Munshiganj Sadar Police Station against seven to eight unidentified individuals. Officer-in-Charge M Saiful Alam confirmed the River Police are leading the investigation. Lutfor Fahman, In-Charge of Muktarpur River Police, assured that operations are ongoing to apprehend the pirates and recover the stolen oil.

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