3 killed in ‘gunfights’ with Rab

Three alleged criminals, including two drug peddlers, were killed in “gunfights” with Rab in the capital and Cox’s Bazar early yesterday.

Lt Col Ashique Billah, commanding officer of Rab-2, claimed that an illegal arms trader was killed when a Rab team, acting on a tip-off, conducted a drive in the capital’s Hazaribagh area to recover firearms from him.

The dead is Md Sumon, 39.

He said when the team reached near Shikder Medical College around 4:30am, Sumon opened fired. The Rab members retaliated, triggering the “gunfight”. At one stage, Sumon was hit and died on the spot, he added.

The Rab official claimed to have recovered a foreign pistol from the spot.

In Cox’s Bazar, two suspected drug peddlers -- Abdur Rahman, 42, and Omar Faruk, 31 -- were killed in another “shootout” with members of Rab-2 in Teknaf upazila.

Acting on a tip-off that a consignment of drug will be smuggled into the country through Marine Drive road, a Rab team took position at Baharchhara Uttar Shilkhani around 3:00am, said Mohiuddin Faruki, company commander of Rab-2. The team signalled a car to stop, but the drug peddlers in the vehicle opened fire, forcing the Rab members to return fire, he claimed.

After the “gun battle”, the team found the two bullet hit and took them to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead.

The Rab claimed to have recovered 300 bottles of Phensedyl, a foreign pistol, 4,000 yaba tablets, four bullets and seized the car.

Rab said the two stood accused in eight to nine cases filed with different police stations.

Meanwhile, the bullet-hit body of an alleged drug peddler was found in Chitakhola area of Ukhia upazila in the morning.

The dead is Jashim Uddin, 35.

Abul Mansur, officer-in-charge of Ukhia Police Station, said they were yet to identify the killers.

Police could not say why Jashim was killed, but said they came to know about his involvement in yaba trade.

Our correspondent in Cox’s Bazar contributed to this report.