Joint forces with 4,000 members are conducting an operation around jungle Salimpur in Sitakunda

❐ Staff Correspondent

A large-scale joint force special operation has begun to break the control of criminal hideouts and illegal occupants in the remote jungle Salimpur area of ​​Sitakunda Upazila in Chittagong.

This combing operation is being conducted with the participation of about 4,000 members of the army, RAB, and police since Monday morning, March 9th.

Chittagong District Police Additional Superintendent of Police (Media) Md. Russell confirmed the matter and said that about 4,000 members of the joint force participated in the operation.

However, he said that detailed information regarding the progress of the operation, arrests or rescues will be officially announced later.

Although the forest is administratively included in Salimpur Sitakunda Upazila, the main entrance to the area is through Banglabazar area of ​​Bayezid police station in Chittagong city. Spread over about 3,100 acres of private land, this hilly area has been the scene of illegal encroachment, hill cutting and settlement, and various criminal gangs for a long time. As a result, it is alleged that the area has become a safe haven for criminals over time.

Scene of attack on RAB

Law enforcement sources said that since Monday morning, members of the joint force surrounded the area around the Salimpur jungle. Strict checkpoints have been set up at all important entry and exit points in the area. After that, they are gradually moving inward and searching suspicious establishments and settlements.

Law enforcement agencies have faced resistance and attacks while conducting operations in this area several times before. In light of that experience, this time the operation is being planned with a different strategy, according to relevant sources.

The activities of criminal gangs in the jungle of Salimpur are not new. For a long time, various terrorist groups have been dominating the area, causing extortion, land grabbing and clashes.

Law enforcement surveillance in the area has been further strengthened following several recent violent incidents.

Jungle Salimpur

On January 19, during an operation in this area, RAB-7 Deputy Assistant Director (Nayeb Subedar) Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan was killed in an attack by terrorist Mohammad Yasin’s forces.

Four RAB members were abducted in the attack but were later rescued. The incident sparked widespread discussion across the country.

Earlier, on October 4 last year, one person was killed in a shootout between Yasin and Rokon forces. At that time, two journalists were also attacked while covering the scene.

After the political situation changed on August 5, 2024, the activities of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir terrorists increased here. There were multiple clashes centered on occupation, extortion, and expansion of dominance. The area has become a battlefield with the use of sophisticated weapons.

RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman announced a large-scale joint operation in the Salimpur jungle while attending the funeral of RAB officer Motaleb Hossain Bhuiyan. The current operation is being seen as the implementation of that announcement.

The Awami League government had planned to liberate this private land in 2022 and build various important facilities, including the Chittagong Central Jail, Sports Village, Cricket Stadium, Iconic Mosque and Eco Park, on it. But the eviction drive has been repeatedly disrupted due to obstacles from local squatters and terrorist groups.

Although the district administration had previously set up a ‘hill management camp’ and checkpost in the area, it has not been possible to completely control criminal activities, said those concerned.

The situation in the Salimpur forest area is currently tense. Members of the joint force are conducting a search operation across the area. The police said that the results of the operation and details about the arrests or weapons recovered will be officially announced later.