<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Armed separatist group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) on Thursday demanded Tk 15 from his family as ransom for the release of Sonali Bank’s Bandarban Ruma upazila branch manager Nizam Uddin who was abducted during a daring robbery on Tuedsday.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nizam Uddin’s&nbsp; wife Nazmul Nahar, a teacher of Bandarban Cantonment Public School and College, revealed the matter to the media shorty after she received a phone call from the KNF.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a press conference at the conference room of Bandarban Zilla Parishad on Thursday morning, its chairman Kyaw Shwe Hla denied to hold any discussion with KNF until it releases the abducted bank manager, returns looted 14 arms, money and stop all kinds of criminal activities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kyaw Shwe, also president of the district peace committee, said a view-exchange meeting with the participation of representatives from several groups to facilitate KNF members’ return to normal life was held on May 29 last year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On June 30, 18-member peace committee was formed with the coordination of local leaders. Later several virtual meetings between the peace committee and the KNF were held to return peace in the district, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On November 5 last year and March 5 this year, a couple of in-person dialogues&nbsp; with the group&nbsp; were held and two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed when KNF assured that it will suspended all armed activities , he informed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, banking activities of Bangladesh Krishi Bank and Sonali Bank in the district’s Thanchi upazila branch have remained suspended since Wednesday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Ruma and Rowangchhari upazilas, activities of Krishi Bank remained normal while that of Sonali Bank remained suspended.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As part of the criminal activities, the separatist group kidnapped the Sonali Bank manager on April 2 and looted Tk 1.5 crore from the Ruma branch.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The incident occurred during Taraweeh prayers. The robbers looted 14 weapons from the Ansar members guarding the bank and abducted the bank manager from the mosque on the bank premises.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They carried out robberies at Sonali Bank and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi upazila, Bandarban on Wednesday, in a similar incident at a Sonali Bank branch in Ruma upazila.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd/fas</div>