Killer Bangla pirates caught

Calcutta, Jan. 28: Five pirates of a suspected Bangladeshi gang who shot dead three Bengal fishermen off the Sunderbans yesterday were caught while escaping.

"The fishermen on Ma Tara, Ma Basanti-I and Ma Basanti-II, which had set sail from Kakdwip on January 22, were fishing near the confluence of the Bay of Bengal and the Raimangal and Ichhamati rivers around 10.30am when around 20 pirates in mechanised boats ringed the trawlers and started firing," an officer said.

At the time of the attack, the trawlers were near the Sunderbans island of Kendo.

"The pirates climbed into the trawlers and demanded that the fishermen hand over the catch, fishing nets and money," the officer said.

The fishermen refused to obey, following which the pirates fired again, the officer said. "Three fishermen on Basanti-I died and around 10 suffered bullet injuries."

The pirates then transferred the catch and other looted items from Basanti-I and Basanti-II to Ma Tara. They dumped the bodies and the injured fishermen on Basanti-I and II," the officer said.

Nidan Das, one of the fishermen on Basanti-I, said: "Sripon Das was shot first. His father Dulal rushed towards him but was shot dead too." Another fisherman, Manohar Das, was also shot dead. Nidan said Sripon had married two years ago and had a one-year-old daughter. The police said the dead fishermen were from Kakdwip.

The fishermen caught eight pirates but three of them jumped into the water and made it to Ma Tara.

The brigands escaped with the trawler, taking hostage 15 fishermen who were on the vessel.

L.N. Meena, the police chief of South 24-Parganas, said: "The police and the Coast Guard are looking for the fishermen and the trawler. We will interrogate the pirates. We will also contact the Bangladesh government to find out if the pirates had come from that country," he said.

Six of the injured fishermen were admitted to the Diamond Harbour sub-divisional hospital. Two others were taken to Calcutta National Medical College Hospital and SSKM.

Nearly 1,500 fishermen demonstrated at the Kakdwip fishing harbour to protest "lack of adequate vigilance by the Coast Guard".

Coast Guard officials said the attackers might not have been "hard-core" pirates. "We have sent a team to the spot," said I.S. Chauhan, DIG (Coast Guard).