Special Correspondent :
Top security officials, including the Home Minister, embarked on a visit to the hill tracts and pledged a comprehensive joint operation in Bandarban to restore peace and recover the looted arms by the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF).
Simultaneously, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) apprehended Cheosim Bom, the central committee chief coordinator of Kuki Chin, along with four suspected members of the militant outfit in a special operation in Bandarban on Sunday.
General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, the Army Chief, along with Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, Special Branch Chief Md Monirul Islam, and other high-ranking officials are currently stationed in Bandarban to address the situation seriously.
In a prior visit on Saturday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and BGB Director General Maj Gen Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui inspected the overall situation in Bandarban following the swift rescue of Sonali Banks manager Nizam Uddin within 48 hours after abduction.
Responding to the surge in criminal activities, General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, the Army Chief, announced a comprehensive joint operation in Bandarban on Sunday, signifying a heightened effort to maintain public safety.
This initiative entails coordination among the Bangladesh Army, police, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), aiming to address the escalating security concerns.
In a press briefing at the Bandarban Cantonment, General Ahmed emphasized, “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed us to take all necessary measures to ensure the security of our citizens.
We are implementing both overt and covert strategies to achieve tangible results from this operation.”
The recent spate of criminal incidents has rattled the local populace, prompting the visit of high-ranking military officials, including General Ahmed, to Bandarban.
Their presence seeks to reassure the community in the wake of unsettling events.
A breakthrough came on Friday night when the operation led to the arrest of several armed suspects.
The crackdown, according to General Ahmed, signals the military’s unwavering resolve against groups undermining regional stability.
He particularly mentioned that the the Kuki-Chin National Front had previously engaged in peace negotiations with the government.
“Despite our hopes for peace, the KNF reverted to criminal conduct,” he said.
“After being cornered last June, they appeared willing to negotiate. Unfortunately, their commitment to peace was superficial, as evidenced by their continued involvement in criminal acts,” he added.
In an earlier address to the troops, General Ahmed called for bravery and vigilance in combating crime, underscoring the importance of this mission to national security and public well-being.
However, the RAB arrested Cheosim Bom, 55, one of the chief coordinators of the organisation’s central committee on Sunday.
The elite force also recovered two firearms from a hilly area in Sadar upazila on Saturday night.
However, it is not yet known whether the recovered firearms are those looted on April 2 from the police and Ansar members engaged in the security of Sonali Bank in Ruma upazila.
Earlier on Saturday, RAB started a crackdown on terrorist activities in Bandarban. More than 100 RAB members took part in the operation.
Khandaker Al Moin, director of RAB’s legal and media wing, informed media about the operation at a press conference on Friday morning. The drive began in Ruma and Thanchi upazilas of Bandarban on Saturday.
Earlier, abducted manager of Sonali Bank’s Ruma branch Nizam Uddin was rescued from the Bathel Para area of Bandarban through the mediation of the Rapid Action Battalion on Thursday, after 48 hours of his abduction by KNF members.
The separatist group kidnapped the Sonali Bank manager on April 2, and tried to loot Tk 1.5 crore from the vault of the Ruma branch. Unable to take the money, they kidnapped the bank manager.
They also carried out robberies at Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila of Bandarban on Wednesday.
A tense situation has been prevailing in the upazila after the incidents.
So far, eight cases have been filed with Ruma and Thanchi police stations.
Earlier, in a briefing on 3 April, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said, “ Kuki Chin was involved in bank robberies and firearms looting. They also hit police constables, bank guards and ansar.”
