RAB crackdown5 suspected KNF members arrested

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested five suspected members of Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) and recovered two firearms from a hilly area in Sadar upazila on Saturday night.

However, it is not yet known whether the recovered firearms were those looted on April 2 from the police and Ansar members engaged in the security of Sonali Bank in Ruma upazila.

RAB will provide more details later, they said.

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 Tk1.5 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.

Senior officials of the home ministry, security forces and administration have already visited the area.

So far, eight cases have been filed with Ruma and Thanchi police stations.