Rohingya Gang: Kingpin killed in ‘crossfire’

The alleged ringleader of a Rohingya robber gang was killed in a “gunfight” with police in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf yesterday morning, hours after his arrest.

Nur Mohammad, was the main accused in Jubo League leader Faruk murder case, said Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station.

Nur drew attention and criticism after he held an ear-piercing ceremony of his 11-year-old daughter on August 22 and received one kg of gold, Tk 45 lakh in cash and many other materials as gifts, said Rashed Mahmud Ali, chairman of Hnila union in Teknaf.

Locals alleged that Nur’s associates and Rohingya yaba peddlers presented the gifts to his daughter.

The OC said acting on a tip-off, they arrested Nur, who had obtained a Bangladeshi national identity card under the name of Nur Alam, from Shalbagan area of the upazila on Saturday afternoon.

A team, led by officer-in-charge (investigation) ABMS Doha, took Nur with it to recover illegal firearms from Jadimura area around 5:45am yesterday.

The police official said Nur’s cohorts opened fire on police and tried to snatch him. The law enforcers returned fire, triggering a “gunfight”. Nur was hit.

Nur was taken to the local upazila health complex where doctors declared him dead.

Three policemen, including OC Doha, were hurt, the police official said, adding that they took treatment at the upazila health complex.

Police claimed to have recovered four light guns, a homemade gun, 18 bullets and 20 bullet shells from the spot.

Four Rohingyas, including Nur, accused in the Jubo League leader murder case, have been killed in “shootouts” with police.

Jubo League leader Omar Faruk, 30, was shot dead at Jadimura allegedly by a group of Rohingya criminals on August 22.

Since then, police had been looking for Nur, the OC said.

Nur came to Hnila union in 1992 from Myanmar. He earned a lot of illegal money through robbery and yaba trading, he added.

Asked about his national ID card, Brig Gen Mohammad Saidul Islam, director general of the Election Commission’s National Identity Registration Wing, said they learnt about the matter yesterday and would form a committee to investigate it.

ANOTHER KILLED IN SYLHET

An alleged robber was killed in a similar incident with police in Beanibazar upazila early yesterday.

Misbah Uddin, 29, of Rohar Shangon village of Zakiganj upazila, was a listed criminal and accused in at least eight cases, including six robbery ones, filed with different police stations, said Abani Shankar, officer-in-charge of Beanibazar Police Station.

On information, police arrested Misbah from Gowainghat upazila’s Jaflong on Saturday morning. Police later went to Sheola bridge area, along with him, to recover firearms around 5:00am yesterday, the OC said.

“When our team reached the spot, a group of associates of Misbah started firing at us and Misbah tried to run away from the police van. After a gunfight with the attackers, we found that Misbah was hit and rushed him to a hospital where doctors declared him dead,” he said.

Police claimed to have recovered a homemade gun, a bolt cutter and several sharp weapons from the spot.

The body was sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College for an autopsy, the OC added.

The Daily Star, however, could not independently verify the reported gunfight incidents.

Our Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet correspondents contributed to this report.