2 Rohingyas among 3 ‘drug peddlers’ killed in ‘gunfights’

Three alleged drug peddlers, including two Rohingyas, have been killed in reported gunfights with law enforcers in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar and Tarakanda of Mymensingh.

Two Rohingya yaba smugglers were killed in a reported gunfight with the members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Hnila union under Teknaf upazila around 4:00am, Lt Col Foysal Hasan Khan, commanding officer of the BGB-2 in Teknaf, told our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately.

The drug peddlers were spotted on the Naf River after they reached the bank of the river crossing Myanmar border, the BGB official said.

When they were asked to stop, they started firing at the law enforcers prompting them to retaliate, he said.

Some of the yaba peddlers managed to flee the spot through the river while two of their associates came in line of the firing, the BGB official said.

After the gunfight, the law enforcers also recovered 70 thousand pieces of yaba tablets, a locally made firearm, and bullets from the spot.

Besides in Mymensingh, an alleged ‘drug peddler’ was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with police in Tarakanda upazila of the district early today.

The deceased was identified as Abdul Karim, 45, son of late Abbas Ali of Nolchapra village in the upazila, our local correspondent reports quoting Shah Kamal Akanda, officer-in-charge (OC) of Detective Branch of police in Mymensingh.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of DB men conducted a raid in Mukamiakanda Rice Mill area when a group of drug peddlers were engaged in drug trading around 1.15am, the OC said.

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the criminals started firing at them, triggering a “gunfight”, claimed the OC.

At one stage, the drug traders managed to flee the spot, leaving their injured associate Karim behind, the OC said.

Later, police recovered Karim and sent him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) where attending doctor declared him dead, the OC added.

Police also recovered a pipe gun with a round of bullets and 200-gm heroin from the spot, said the OC.

An assistant sub-inspector of DB identified as Md Anwar Hossain was also injured during the gunfight and was given primary treatment at Mymensingh Police Lines Hospital, the OC also said.

Karim was accused of 15 cases including 13 for drug peddling lodged with Tarakanda Police Station, informed the OC.

The body was kept at MMCH morgue for autopsy.

A case was lodged with the police station in this connection.