River Pirates Attack Police Camp in Gazaria, Intense Gunfight Ensues

Staff Correspondent. Munshiganj, 25 August 2025, Monday.

A newly established temporary police camp in Jamalpur village of Guagachia union in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj was attacked and heavily shelled by pirates on Monday (August 25) evening. The incident spread widespread panic in the area.

According to eyewitnesses and police sources, after 5 pm, 30-40 members of the Nayan-Piyas group of boat robbers started practicing in the area adjacent to the camp in the Meghna River with 5-6 engine-powered trawlers. They first exploded 4-5 cocktails and then fired more than a hundred bullets at the camp. In self-defense, the police also fired back, resulting in heavy gunfire for about half an hour. The police fired 19-24 rounds.

In the face of strong police resistance, the robbers fled towards Matlab with the trawler around 5:45 pm. Gazaria Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md. Anwar Alam Azad confirmed the incident and said, “30-35 pirates led by Piyas targeted the camp by firing bullets and grenades. We returned fire to bring the situation under control. None of our members were injured. However, we cannot confirm whether any of the robbers were injured.”

He added that some of the weapons used by the attackers were looted from the police station. Munshiganj Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar said, “The pirates probably carried out the attack for extortion. They were unable to carry out their evil activities due to the presence of the police camp. We will take a stricter stand against the terrorists.”

Incidentally, there has been unrest in Guagachia Union for a long time due to illegal sand mining, extortion and dominance of the boat robbers. In the past few months, the robbers Sardar Babla, Shooter Mannan and Hridoy Bagh were killed by the Nayan-Piyas and Lalu Bahini. A temporary police camp was set up in Jamalpur village on August 22 to suppress this evil activity. However, the boat robber groups have been opposing it since the beginning of the camp. Local resident Ujjwal Dewan said, “The sound of bullets has spread panic in the village. Even though there is a police camp, we do not feel safe.” He added that more than a hundred families in the area had fled the village due to fear of the robbers, but after the camp was set up, some families started returning. Police said that they have intensified operations and are taking steps to catch the attackers. No one has been arrested in the incident yet. Locals have demanded increased security in the area.