Three suspected drug dealers were killed in separate “shootouts” with law enforcers in Feni and Cumilla yesterday.

The dead in Feni were identified as Asad, 42, and Imamul Akand, 24, from Rajoir upazila of Madaripur district. They were members of a drug peddling gang, Rab officials claimed.

A “shootout” occurred when a Rab team, on information that drugs were being smuggled, signaled a lorry to stop in Silonia Bazar area of Daganbhuiyan upazila around 12:30am, said Shafayet Jamil Fahim, commander of Rab-7 in Feni.

Those inside the lorry began shooting at the Rab men while trying to escape, which forced the law enforcers to retaliate, triggering a “gunfight” in which Asad and Imamul sustained bullet injuries, he said.

Rab recovered the bodies and seized the lorry, he said, adding that they also recovered a firearm, 13 bullets, and 250kg of marijuana.

Doctors at Feni Sadar Hospital conducted autopsies and no one came to claim the bodies as of filing of this report around 6:15pm, a correspondent reported.

In Cumilla, an alleged drug peddler, Saiful, 24, was killed in a “gunfight” with police in Monagram area of the Sadar upazila around 11:00pm.

Abu Faysal Miah, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Model Police Station, said Saiful had been facing three cases filed under the narcotics act.

With the three, at least 269 suspected drug peddlers and dealers have been killed since the anti-narcotics drive began on May 4 last year. Most of them were killed in so-called shootouts involving Rab or police.

The previous “shootout” before these two took place on December 14.