2 'drug dealers' shot dead

Two young men were shot dead early yesterday hours after they were arrested in Teknaf.

Saddam Hossain, 30, and his namesake aged 35 were arrested around 10:00pm, said Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station in Cox's Bazar.

He claimed that they were shot dead around 3:00am at Baharchara where a police team took them to recover arms and yaba pills.

With them, at least six people have been killed in so-called shootouts in Teknaf in the last seven days.

Yesterday's shootout took place when armed gang members opened fire at police to snatch the arrestees away, the OC said, adding that police retaliated and the two arrestees were shot. 

Law enforcers have been giving this account to describe deaths of people in their custody over the years.

It is law enforcers' responsibility to ensure safety and security to those in their custody, according to law.

The Teknaf OC yesterday claimed police recovered three firearms, 20 bullets and 20,000 yaba pills from the scene.

Law enforcers have claimed that at least 251 drug dealers have been shot dead since May 4 when a crackdown on drugs began.

Meanwhile, Bogura police shot and injured two alleged robbers on Bogura-Sonatala road in Sonatala upazila early yesterday.

Zillur Rahman, 50, and Shariful Islam, 22, were undergoing treatment at Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, reports our district correspondent.

Police shot them after the alleged robbers attacked them with sharp weapons during a raid around 1:30am, said Shariful Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonatala Police  Station.