A team of Bangladesh Army conducted a raid on a terrorist den in Noapatang under Rowangchhari Upazila in Bandarban district and recovered a huge number of arms, ammunition, local weapons and other materials early Wednesday.
The army has long been aware of information on the presence of an armed miscreant of Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS) Santu Larma group named Apu Chakma in Bandarban.
He is known to have carried out extortions, arms exchanges and miscreant activities in Bandarban and adjoining areas.
Acting on a tip-off, the army members of Bandarban Army Zone conducted a successful operation in the area of Noapatang around 5am at the hideout of armed miscreants of JSS (Santu Larma), said an intelligence official.
The armed group was trying to establish a reign of terror by taking people hostages at gunpoint, extorting large sums of money from the poor and carrying out miscreant activities, the intelligence official said requesting anonymity.
The army team led by Bandarban Army Zone Commander reached the area by crossing various natural obstacles and inaccessible mountain paths. When the team reached near the area the armed miscreants fled to a nearby forest.
During this time there was a brief exchange of fire between the army members and JSS members. Later, their hideout was found and searched.
During the operation, a 9mm pistol loaded with magazines, AK-47 magazine, multiple ammunition bundlers, sharp domestic weapons, commando knife, large quantity of ammunition, communication device (walkie-talkie), solar charger, various types of electronics, 13 cell phones, JSS books, diaries, multiple olive-coloured uniforms and shoes used by JSS's armed affiliates, large quantities of indigenous drugs, large sums of money collected as tolls and receipts of JSS levies, records of extortion from neighborhoods, miscreants' national identity cards and bags used in miscreant activities were recovered from the hideout.
Later, the hideout was destroyed.
It is to be noted that for a long time this organization has been trying to establish an independent autonomous region by isolating the Chittagong Hill Tracts from the mainland of Bangladesh informing itself of its existence through various social media called Jummo Liberation Army (Independent Jummu Army).
