Last Updated on March 9, 2026 9:13 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Around 4,000 members of Bangladesh’s security forces launched a large-scale joint operation on Monday in Jungle Salimpur in Sitakunda, Chattogram, to dismantle criminal networks operating in the hilly settlement. The operation, which began at 6am, involves personnel from the Bangladesh Army, police, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh.
Authorities sealed off the entire 3,100-acre area and set up checkpoints at entry and exit points to prevent suspects from escaping. Chattogram Additional Superintendent of Police (Media) Md Russell confirmed the scale of the drive. “Around 4,000 members of the security forces are participating in the drive, moving in several teams. Detailed information will be shared upon its conclusion,” he told journalists.
The raid follows rising tension in the area after RAB-7 Deputy Assistant Director (Naib Subedar) Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan was killed during an arms recovery operation on January 19. Three others were seriously injured when armed assailants attacked the team with firearms and sharp weapons. Police filed a case against 29 named individuals, including alleged kingpin Mohammad Yasin, and about 200 unidentified suspects.
Jungle Salimpur, located west of Link Road near Bayezid Bostami in Chattogram, has long been considered a sanctuary for armed groups involved in illegal land trading, hill cutting and drug trafficking.
Locals say two rival factions led by Mohammad Yasin and Rokon Uddin dominate the area. Yasin, once linked to former Awami League MP SM Al Mamun, has reportedly tried to portray himself as an associate of BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury following the political changes after the July uprising.
However, Chowdhury denied any political or personal connection with Yasin in a statement earlier this year. Police said the ongoing operation aims to break the criminal network and restore law and order in the area.