Abducted man rescued; arms, drugs seized in Cox's Bazar: Coast Guard

A man, who was abducted by a group of kidnappers and robbers, was rescued during a joint forces operation in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar last night.

A gunfight took place also took place between the law enforcers and the armed criminals, said Lieutenant Commander Salahuddin Rashid Tanvir, in-charge of the Teknaf Station of the Bangladesh Coast Guard, in a press briefing.

One G3 rifle, two foreign pistols, three locally-made guns, 3,100 rifle bullets, 14 pistol bullets, one kilogram of crystal meth (ice), and four litres of homemade liquor were recovered following the gunfight, the official said.

Md Sohel, 20, son of Jahangir Alam of Notun Pallan Para in Teknaf municipality, was rescued during the operation, he confirmed.

The raid was conducted after law enforcement agencies received information at midnight that a group of armed criminals had taken position in a hill near Jadimora under Hnila union, he said.

A joint team of the Coast Guard and police launched the raid in the area. As the team reached the spot, the criminals opened fire, prompting the joint force members to return fire in self-defense.

Eventually, the assailants fled into the deep forest, he added.

The seized arms and drugs were handed over to Teknaf Police Station, and preparations are underway to file a case, according to the Coast Guard.