Arakan (Magh) Slave Raids on the Bengal Coast in the 1620s

Timeline

1. 1620–1623Bay of Bengal coast · BengalFrom 1620 to 1623, Arakanese Magh pirates and fleets frequently attacked Bengal coastal towns such as Noakhali and Barisal, capturing populations and burning settlements; the victims were mostly taken to Chittagong (then under Arakanese control) to await sale.
2. 1622–1628Port of Chittagong · ChittagongCaptured populations were auctioned at Chittagong and resold through Arakanese, Dutch, Portuguese, and Arab merchant networks to Ayutthaya, Malacca, Bantam, and the Middle East; this trade peaked in the 1620s and is recorded by both European travelers and Bengali sources.
3. 1626–1629Eastern Bengal frontier · BengalIn the late 1620s, Mughal governors intensified their military response to Arakanese raids, launching an offensive toward Chittagong around 1626; although they failed to permanently eliminate the Magh threat, this marked the intensification of conflict between the empire's eastward expansion and the Arakanese slave trade.