2 Rohingyas killed in ‘gunfight’

Two Rohingyas, accused in a case filed over the murder of a Jubo League leader, were killed in a “gunfight” with police in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila early yesterday.

An alleged robber was killed in a similar incident in Sylhet.

The Rohingyas -- Muhammad Shah and Abdu Shukkur -- were residents of Teknaf’s Zadimura Rohingya refugee camp.

Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf police station, said a “gunfight” took place around 1:30am as one of their teams carried out a raid in Jadimura hill area, on information that some accused in the murder case had gathered there. 

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the criminals opened fire, forcing them to retaliate, resulting in the “gunfight”, he told our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

After the criminals fled away, police found two bullet-hit men lying there. They were rushed to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, the OC said.

Police claimed to have recovered two firearms and 12 bullet shells from the spot.

The two were among the 15 named accused in the case filed over the killing of Faruk, 30, president of Hnila Union Parishad Jubo League, on Thursday night.

Police recovered Faruk’s body early Friday.

The murder sparked a massive demonstration in the area as locals blocked the Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf highway for three hours from 10:00am protesting the murder. They also vandalised a couple of shops and houses inside a Rohingya camp in Jadimura.

The victim’s brother Amir Hamza said a group of Rohingya criminals picked up Faruk from in front of his house around 10:30pm on Thursday.

They then dragged him to a nearby hill and shot him dead, Amir said.

In Sylhet, an alleged robber was killed in a “gunfight” with police in Maricha area of Zakiganj upazila.

The man, Abdus Sahid, 23, of Dharmadihi village in Moulvibazar’s Barlekha upazila, was accused in several robbery cases, the law enforcers claimed.

On information that a group of robbers would rob a house of a Bangladeshi expatriate, police raided Maricha area around 1.15am, said Meer Md Abdul Naser, officer-in-charge of Zakiganj Police Station.

Sensing police presence, the criminals at first hurled bricks and then opened fire on the law enforcers, forcing them to retaliate, he claimed.

“As we chased them, they fled. While searching the area after the gunfight, we found Shahid on the ground shot and injured. We rushed him to the upazila health complex where duty doctors declared him dead,” the OC said.

The body was sent to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Police also claimed to have recovered one locally made firearm, five empty bullet shells and some sharp local weapons from the spot.

A case was filed over the incident, the police official said, adding that the accused was facing a case with the police station for attempting to commit a robbery 10 days ago.

The Daily Star, however, could not independently verify the police claims.