Two people have been killed two separate incidents that the law enforcers have described as shootouts at Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf Upazila.
The incidents were reported from the upazila’s Moheshkhali area and from near the bank of River Naf on Sunday (Oct 20).
The deceased have been identified as 37-year-old Rahim Uddin and 23-year-old Md Aziz, who the law enforcers claim were drug peddlers.
Rahim was killed in a ‘shootout’ with BGB at Hoyaikong, near River Naf, confirmed Teknaf-2 BGB chief Mohammad Faisal Hassan Khan.
He said that they took position near the area based on a tip-off that a consignment was yaba was coming in through neighbouring Myanmar.
“A man was seen roaming around near the bank. After some time others were seen on a boat. When BGB told them to stop the boat they opened fire and we fired back in self-defence,” he said.
He added that the rest of the “drug peddlers” and BGB took a bullet-ridden Rahim Uddin to Teknaf Upzila Health complex.
“The emergency department doctor referred him to Cox’s Bazar hospital where the doctors declared him dead,” he said.
Khan said that a local gun, three rounds of ammunition, 60,000 thousand tablets of contraband yaba and two machetes from the scene.
Meanwhile, Teknaf Model police OC Pradip Kumar Das said that Md Aziz, an alleged drug peddler was arrested on Saturday (Oct 19) night.
“Based on his confession, a special police team accompanied by him raided his den at Maheshkhali area to seize yaba and arms,” he said.
He added that Aziz’s accomplices opened fire on them and police fired back in self defence. “Three policemen were injured during the gunfight.”
He said that a bullet-ridden Aziz was referred to Cox’s Bazar Hospital by the health complex where the doctors declared him dead after giving him primary treatment.
OC Das said that 3,000 yaba tablets, seven round of ammunition and a local gun was seized from the scene.
In the last two years, 177 alleged drug peddlers have been killed in the south-eastern district’s Ukhiya and Teknaf upazilas amongst which 49 are Rohingyas.
Bangla Tribune’s Teknaf and Cox’s Bazar correspondents provided inputs for the report.