The new pirates of the Bay of Bengal
Armed Bangladeshi gangs, the new pirates of the Bay of Bengal, are kidnapping Indian fishermen for ransom, wreaking havoc, and threatening livelihoods, AlJazeera reports.
An article published atAlJazeera‘s website describes how fishing in the Sundarbans region on the shared border has become increasinlgy dangerous. The region, located on the porous, riverine border between India and Bangladesh, is characterised by mangrove forests that are a haven for Bangladeshi pirates.
In April, one man was kidnapped by Bangladeshi pirates while fishing the creeks and canals of the Sundarbans. More recently, pirates opened fire on another group of fishermen in the Kendo Islands, near the Bay of Bengal.
They held hostage three people and sent out a ransom message through three people they released. The families were asked to pay a ransom of 100,000 rupees [$1,510] each if they wanted to see the fishermen alive.
Through continued pleading, the families managed to bring the ransom amount down to 50,000 rupees ($755) for each person.
“They kept us in captivity for a week until a total of 150,000 rupees [$2,260] was deposited into their accounts through a hawala system [a method of transferring funds]. After confirming that their six accounts had received 25,000 rupees [$375] each from India, they released us,” the fisherman told AlJazeera.
The fishing season, which starts in mid-June and lasts until mid-September, sees about 150,000 fishermen set out for the Bay of Bengal.
Though most of the pirates are Bangladeshis, experts say they have a support base on the Indian side, too.
Source: AlJazeera
