Arakan Army abducts 20 Bangladeshi fishermen from Naf River

Members of Arakan Army of Myanmar have abducted 20 Bangladeshi fishermen along with 15 fishing boats from the Naf River in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar.

Abdus Salam, a member of the Subrang Union Parishad in Teknaf, said that the incident occurred near the confluence of the Naf River and the Bay of Bengal, close to the Naikhongdia area around 5pm on Tuesday.

He said that the fishermen were fishing in the estuary with two engine-run boats and 13 non-engine boats when they were taken away. Each boat carried one or two fishermen using small nets to catch fish.

The Arakan Army members arrived in larger boats and abducted the fishermen at gunpoint.

All of the fishermen are from the Jaliapara area of Shapuree Island in Subrang Union, Teknaf.

However, the local official was unable to confirm the names of all those abducted.

Teknaf Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), Md Adnan Chowdhury, said that the matter was reported by the local UP member and others, and the relevant higher authorities have been informed.