Police: Hunt on to capture oil tanker pirates

The oil tanker attacked by pirates n Dhaleshwari-Shitalakkhya confluence in Munshiganj.

Munshiganj, Jan 12 - Law enforcers have launched a hunt for the pirates who seized an oil tanker and looted 350 metric tonnes of furnace oil, authorities said on Sunday, three days after the incident.

The tanker was carrying over 360 metric tonnes of furnace oil when it was attacked on Friday in Dhaleshwari-Shitalakkhya confluence near Char Mukterpur in Munshiganj.

No arrest has been made until today and law enforcers are yet to recover the looted oil.

The oil tanker, heading towards Gazipur from Narayanganj, was seized in the confluence around 6am on Friday.

The armed pirates ambushed the running ship ‘OT Bin Zaman-1’ near the spot (confluence) while it was taking a turn.

The six crew members, including the captain, were overpowered at gunpoint and their mobile phones and other valuables seized.

The pirates blindfolded the crew with black cloth, locked them in the engine room, and took control of the tanker.

After looting 350 MT out of 360.036 MT of furnace oil, worth around Tk 3.5 crore, the hijackers abandoned the tanker, owned by King Fisher Shipping Company, near the Meghna Bridge around 8:30pm and fled the scene. Summit Group is the owner of the furnace oil.

The vessel's captain Saizul Islam said they had set sail from Summit Power in Narayanganj’s Madanganj area at 6am on Friday to deliver it to Summit Power in Gazipur.

He said that six masked pirates with arms boarded the vessel initially and called one by "Dalim" during the attack.

Fazlul Ahmed, manager of the shipping company, said that they lost contact with the ship, prompting them to alert the law enforcement.

Following mobile tracking, the police traced the ship’s location near Meghna Bridge at 8pm on Friday, he added.

Officials from the shipping company, along with River Police and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority, later boarded the ship to rescue the six crew members.

Sensing the arrival of the law enforcers, the hijackers fled away.

Manager Fazlul filed a case on Saturday accusing seven to eight unidentified people with Munshiganj Sadar Police Station in this regard.

The police station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) M Saiful Alam said, the River Police were investigating the case.

Munshiganj’s Muktarpur River Police In-Charge Lutfor informed that efforts were underway to arrest the pirates and recover the oil.-UNB