Police have arrested three people from Chattogram (Chittagong) for their suspected involvements in the May 3 and 4 killings of JSS (MN Larma) leader Shaktiman Chakma and UPDF Ganatantril leader Tapan Jyoti Chakma alia Barma.

The arrests were made on late Monday from the port city’s Bayazid and EPZ area, said police.

The suspects have been identified as Sukriti Chakma, 40, Kantomoy Chakma, 35 and Ziku Chakma, 25. Police said all of them are UPDF activists.

 “Sukriti Chakma was detained from Polytechnic area on Monday night and was handed over to Rangamati police,” Bayezid police station OC Abul Kamal told Bangla Tribune.

A joint team of EPZ police and Rangamati police arrested Kantomoy and Ziku, said EPZ police OC Syed Md Ahsanul Islam.

“They are suspects in the murder of Tapan Jyoti Chakma and has been sent to Rangamati,” he told Bangla Tribune.

Rangamati’s Superintendent of Police Alamgir Kabir, however, declined to comment over the arrests.

Detective Branch Assistant Sub Inspector Ahsan confirmed of the arrests. “Upon requests from Naniarchar police, we detained them and handed over to the police.”

On May 3, Rangamati’s Naniarchar Upazila Chairman and JSS (MN Larma) faction leader Shaktiman Chakma was shot dead in front his office while another leader, Rupom Chakma, was shot and injured.

The next day, 6 people were killed in an armed ambush on their way to the funeral of Shaktiman. The dead included top UPDF Ganatantrik leader Tapan Jyoti Barma.

Conflicts among different groups in the Chattogram Hill Tracts have left 24 people killed in the last six months.

Conflict prevails between at least four active groups in the Hill Tracts, which were once part of a single organisation called Chattogram Hill Tracts Jana Sanghati Samity (JSS), which signed a peace treaty in 1997.