26 rubber plantation workers abducted in Bandarban

Twenty-six rubber plantation workers were abducted in Lama upazila of Bandarban on Saturday night, and they remained unrescued as of Sunday evening.
The abductions took place in five rubber gardens in the remote Murung Jhiri area of Phansiakhali union. Reports suggest that the kidnappers are demanding ransom from the plantation owners and the workers’ families.
Lama Police Station’s Officer-in-Charge Md Shahadat Hossain said that the Army, Border Guard Bangladesh and police launched a joint rescue operation immediately after receiving information about the abduction.
According to garden owners, incidents of kidnapping have recently increased in the hilly areas, spreading fear among workers. Police and local sources suspect an armed hill-based group is responsible for the recent spate of abductions and extortion in Lama’s remote regions.
The victims, all rubber sap collectors, were abducted from plantations owned by Forkan and Shahjahan Company, Nuru Mohammad Company, Ahsan Ullah Company, Humayun Company, and Sonamiya Company. They hail from Ramu and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar district and Naikhongchhari upazila of Bandarban.
One of the plantation owners, Md Shahjahan, claimed that the abductors had previously demanded Tk6 lakh from his workers. After not receiving the ransom, they kidnapped 12 workers from his plantation and have now reiterated their demand.
The abductees are Md Faruk, 26, Md Ayub Ali, 26, Md Siddique, 40, Md Abdul Khalek, 20, Abdul Majed, 17, Monirul Islam, 30, Ziaur Rahman, 45, Md Mubarak, 25, Md Harul, 30, Syed Nur, 28, Ramiz Uddin, 30, Md Kaysar, 38, Md Monir Hossain, 35, Md Imran, 17, Manjur, 30, Afsar Ali, 25, Md Khairul Amin, 30, Abu Bakkar, 29, Abdur Razzak, 33, and Md Mobin, 25.
The names of the other six people could not be identified.
Phansiakhali Union Parishad Member Mongmegyo Marma said the incident has triggered panic among local workers in the rubber, tobacco, timber, stone, and bamboo industries. “Since the area is extremely remote, with poor mobile network coverage, details are still unclear,” he added.
Recent abductions in the region suggest a pattern of organised kidnappings. On 2 February, seven workers were abducted from an orange orchard in Gajalia Union. Earlier, on 14 January, armed groups kidnapped seven workers and a plantation manager from three farmhouses in Bomu Khal. Some victims were later rescued by joint forces, while others were released after paying ransom.