The river police in Bangladesh seized 97 trawlers, 67 lakh metres of current nets, and detained six fishermen while preparing for illegally catching hilsa in the River Padma in Munshiganj.
The fishermen were detained and the items were seized during a drive over illegal fishing of mother hilsha in various chars, including Sidharchar, Kalikal Char, Baburchar of Padma adjacent to Lohajang between Monday night till early Tuesday.
The drive was led by additional DIG of River Police Mahbubur Rahman along with superintendent of River Police (administration) Shafiqul Islam, superintendent of police (Dhaka Region) Khandaker Shariful Islam, superintendent of police Qayyum Basunia, superintendent of police Masuma Akter, in-charge of Mawa River Police outpost Sirajur Kabir.
Representatives of the fisheries department were also present during the drive.
Mawa River Police outpost in-charge Sirajur Kabir said that the location of these trawlers and nets were identified by monitoring from above by Air Force helicopters.
The trawlers were sunk into the river on that night while the nets burned the next morning, he added.
Sirajur said that preparations were underway to file regular cases against the six detainees.
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