3 suspected drug peddlers shot dead

Three alleged drug peddlers, including a Rohingya woman, were killed in “gunfights” with police and Border Guard Bangladesh in Teknaf upazila early yesterday.

The victims are Mahmudur Rahman, 28, of Ali Akbar Para in the upazila; Mohammad Absar, 25, Paschim Shikder Para of the same upazila; and Rumana Aktar, 20, an inhabitant of an unregistered Rohingya camp in Teknaf.

Police and BGB officials claimed that the three were involved in yaba trading.

Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said a police team went to Moulvibazar Bridge area around 4:00am on information that two groups of yaba peddlers were exchanging bullets.

Sensing the law enforcers' presence, the criminals opened fire. Police returned fire in self-defence, triggering the “gun battle”, the OC said.

At one stage, the criminals escaped and the law enforcers found the bullet-hit bodies of Mahmudur and Absar on the spot.

They were taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex and later shifted to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital for better treatment. They died there around 8:00am, the OC said.

Police claimed to have recovered six locally made firearms, 18 live cartridges and 10,000 yaba tablets from the spot.

The OC said three policemen “sustained minor injuries” in the incident.

Mahmudur and Absar stood accused in several cases, including drug-related ones. They had been absconding, the police official said.

He said Absar ran his yaba trade in Hoaikyang area and Mahmudur in Hnila area.

A case was filed in connection with the “gunfight”.

In another incident, a suspected female drug peddler was killed in a similar incident at Omarkhal area along the Naf river around 4:30am yesterday.

The victim, Rumana Aktar, 20, was an inhabitant of an unregistered Rohingya camp in Leda of Teknaf, said BGB.

Maj Shariful Islam Jomaddar, acting commanding officer of BGB Battalion-2 in Teknaf, said acting on a tip-off that a large consignment of yaba pills would be smuggled in from Myanmar, a BGB patrol team took position along the river.

When some Rohingyas carrying yaba pills in a boat were trying to enter Bangladesh through Omarkhal point, BGB men chased them, the BGB official said.

The drug peddlers attacked BGB men with sharp weapons and also fired shots in the air, he said.

The BGB members retaliated in “self-defence”, said Shariful.

As the criminals fled the scene, BGB men found the bullet-riddled body of Rumana on the spot, he claimed.

The BGB men came to know about her identity later, said Shariful.

Around 10,000 yaba pills and two sharp weapons were recovered from the spot, he claimed.

OC Pradip said BGB lodged a case with Teknaf Police Station in this connection.