According to the locals, criminals are still hiding around the area following the operation on 9 March.
Aerial view of the Jungle Salimpur area. Photo: TBS
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Aerial view of the Jungle Salimpur area. Photo: TBS
Residents reported hearing gunshots in Chattogram’s widely discussed Jungle Salimpur on Tuesday night (31 March), hours after the district administration made a claim of dismantling the “criminal sanctuary” there, spreading fresh fear among locals.
Earlier in the day, after visiting camps set up by law enforcement, the district administration stated that the area was under control.
Locals say the reality is different from what the admin states. According to them, criminals are still hiding around the area following the operation on 9 March.
Water and electricity connections to two temporary camps established by law enforcement have been severed.
In this regard, Chattogram Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Ops) Mohammad Sirajul Islam told The Business Standard, “We heard reports of gunfire from the Alinagar area last night. However, it could also have come from training-related firing at nearby Faujdarhat Cadet College.”
He, however, confirmed that the water and electricity connections had been cut within a few days of the camps being established.
According to a source at Faujdarhat Cadet College, no training-related firing takes place at night.
After inspecting security camps in Jungle Salimpur on Tuesday, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah said a criminal group had long turned the area into “a state within a state,” holding ordinary people hostage and engaging in hill cutting, environmental destruction, and the manufacture and trade of illegal arms.
During the visit, he exchanged views with law enforcement, provided food supplies to boost morale, spoke with locals to assess security, and inspected potential sites for permanent camps.
He said operations in 2021-22 were not fully successful due to various challenges. However, after RAB Deputy Assistant Director Motaleb Sarkar was killed in an operation on 19 January this year, the issue gained renewed importance, prompting stronger administrative action, and the terror den was finally dismantled.
On 9 March, a joint operation involving around 4,000 personnel from RAB, police, BGB, Ansar, and the army was conducted.
Authorities claim it wiped out the crime sanctuary without casualties and restored order, while operations against the “Yasin Bahini” continue, patrols are strengthened, and locals demand permanent camps to prevent relapse.
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