A boat with 18 fishermen on board has been missing in the Bay of Bengal for the past 18 days. The fishing vessel – FB Khaja Ajmir – set off from New Fishery Ghat in Chattogram on 13 September.

Four of the missing fishermen have been identified as boat owner Ali Akbar, 49, helmsman Abu Taher, 55, crew member Jamal, 45, and cook Rubel, 35.

On 24 September, Ali Akbar’s wife, Selina Akter, filed a general diary (GD) with Sadarghat River Police Station.

“At first, I thought it was just a network issue at sea. But after waiting 10-11 days without any trace, we became completely anxious,” Selina told the Daily Sun.

She said that four days have already passed since filing the GD, yet neither her husband nor the boat’s crew have been traced.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mizanur Rahman of the police station said the fishermen’s last known location was near Matarbari in Moheshkhali under Cox’s Bazar district. Since then, all of their mobile phones have remained switched off.

“We have informed the Navy, Coast Guard, and relevant river police authorities. They are conducting searches, and alerts have also been sent to all police stations across the country,” he added.