Hartal progresses in Thanchi over killing of 3 cattle traders

The daylong hartal, enforced by Bangali Byabasaye, an organisation of businesspeople from Bengali settlers, protesting the killing of three cattle traders, who were kidnapped by miscreants here on Friday, is going on peacefully in Thanchi upazila today.

Vehicular movement on the upazila roads was almost normal in the morning.

Most of the business establishments kept their shutters down.

No long-route buses passed through the upazila headquarters.

A large number of policemen remained deployed to fend off any trouble.

The business association of the Bengali settlers announced the shutdown at about 7:30pm on Monday.

Convened by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Anwar Hossain, a meeting of the upazila law and order committee started in the morning.

Bandarban Police Super Mizanur Rahman and Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mohammad Abu Zafar attended it.

Cattle traders Abu Bakkar, 27, son of Omar Hamza; Nurul Absar, 28, son of Mohammad Shafi; and Shahab Uddin, 30, son of Nurul Islam of Alikadam Bus Station area in Alikadam upazila, were found dead in Deem Hill area of Thanchi upazila on Monday.

A group of miscreants had looted their belongings and kidnapped them at gunpoint after calling the three to Deem Hill area on Friday citing business reason.

Later, the kidnappers demanded Tk 3 lakh as ransom from their families over the phone.

Following a general diary, police arrested two tribal men who confessed to have kidnapped the cattle traders.

A joint team of police and Border Guard Bangladesh conducted a drive in the Deem Hill area and recovered slaughtered bodies of the three cattle traders around 12:30pm.

The bodies were taken to the Thanchi Police Station.