3 cops, Yaba trader hurt in Cox’s Bazar 'gunfight'
Three policemen and a Yaba trader were injured in a “gunfight” during a crackdown on the contraband tablets in a residential area of Cox’s Bazar town early today.
Police received intelligence on Yaba trading in Uttaran Residential Area near Kalatoli Bypass Road, said Monjur Alam, officer-in-charge of Cox’s Bazar district unit Detective Branch (DB).
“A team of plainclothes launched a crackdown around 5:00am,” he said. “Sensing danger, the Yaba traders opened fire. The policemen were compelled to retaliate with gunfire.”
One Yaba trader Nazrul Islam, 46, hailing from Pankali village under Nila union in the district was shot in the leg, he said. “He is undergoing treatment under custody at Chittagong Medical College and Hospital.”
Three members of the DB police -- Sub-Inspector Titu Datta and constables Sohel and Nazmul -- were sustained bullet injuries during the “gunfight,” the OC added. “They received treatments at the hospital.”
Police recovered two cartridges, a locally-made light gun and around 1,000 pieces of Yaba from the spot, the OC said. Three cases were filed with Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model Police Station in connection to the incident.
This is the second reported incident of gunfight between the law enforcers and Yaba smugglers in Cox’s Bazar this week.
On Sunday, two members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and a Yaba smuggler from Myanmar were shot while exchanging fire in Teknaf. Around 96,000 Yaba tablets were seized from the scene.
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