3 ‘drug peddlers’ killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfights’

Three suspected drug peddlers including a Rohingya woman were killed in separate “gunfights” with police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar early today.

Alleged drug peddlers -- Mahamudur Rahman, 28, and Mohammad Absar, 25, -- were killed in a reported gunfight with a police team at Moulvi Bazar of Teknaf upazila, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reports quoting police.

Besides, the suspected female Rohingya drug peddler Romana Akhter, 22, died on the spot in another “gun battle” with BGB troops in the same upazila, Shariful Islam Jammadder, acting commander of Teknaf BGB-2, told our correspondent.

Pradip Kumar Das, the officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said they had information that a gunfight was taking place between two groups of yaba peddlers in Moulbi Bazar Bridge area around 4:00am, a police team launched a drive in the area.

They opened fire at law enforcers as soon as the police team reached the site, triggering a gunfight," the OC said.

The drug peddlers who suffered injuries in the fight succumbed to their injuries at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital around 8:00am, said OC Pradib.

Three policemen were also injured in the gun battle, said the OC.

Six homemade guns and 20,000 yaba tablets were also recovered from the spot, said Pradip Kumar Das.

In another gunfight, a suspected female Rohingya drug peddler was killed in an alleged gunfight with BGB troopers in Omarkhali Point of Naf River in the same upazila early today.

Deceased Romana, wife of Badrul Islam of Akyab in Myanmar, used to live in number 6 camp of Block C in Teknaf's Leda Rohingya camp, said Major Shariful.

The gunfight took place when a BGB patrolling team ordered a boat to stop in Omarkhali Point of Naf River around 4:00am but drug peddlers, hiding on the boat, fired shots at the BGB team, the BGB official said.

Later, BGB members recovered the body of the woman after other drug peddlers managed to flee the scene.

Nearly 10,000 yaba pills were recovered from her bag while two sharp weapons recovered from the boat after the gunfight, Shariful added.