26 workers abducted for ransom in Bandarban

Armed individuals have abducted 26 workers from rubber plantations in Lama upazila of Bandarban and demanded ransom for their release.

The incident took place in the remote hilly area, Murung Jhiri, under Fasiakhali union on Sunday.

Lama police station Officer-in-Charge Md Shahadat Hossain said the army, the Border Guard Bangladesh, and the police have already launched drives to rescue them.

Local representatives said terrorists attacked several rubber plantations located under Ward-1 of the union this morning and kidnapped 26 workers at gunpoint.

The latest incident followed by two others in early February and mid-January has triggered panic among residents of Murung Jhiri, and its adjacent Goalmarma, Mongbichor, and Tirerdeba areas, they said.

Twenty of the abductees were identified as Md Faruk, 26, Ayub Ali, 26, Md Siddiq, 40, Abdul Khaleq, 20, Abdul Majed, 17, Monirul Islam, 30, Ziaur Rahman, 45, Md Mobarak, 25, Md Harun, 30, Ramiz Uddin, 32, Syed Nur, 28, Md Kayser, 38, Monir Hossain, 35, Md Imran, 17, Md Monjurul, 30, Absar Ali, 25, Khayrul Amin, 30, Abu Bakkar, 28, Abdur Razzak, 33, and Md Mobin, 25.

Md Shahjahan, an owner of a rubber plantation in Murung Jhiri, said terrorists abducted his 12 workers from the plantation and demanded Tk50,000 in ransom for each of them.

It was also learnt that the armed individuals also demanded ransom for other abductees.