Truck carrying drugs runs over, kills Rab man

A member of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) was killed in Mymensingh early yesterday as a truck run over him while he was chasing the vehicle.

According to the law enforcers, the truck was carrying cannabis.

The dead -- Idris Molla, 28, a constable of Bangladesh Police -- was deputed to the elite force in May 2019.

Lt Col Ashique Billah, director (legal and media wing) of Rab, said the incident took place in the district's Bhaluka upazila.

A team of Rab-1 set up a checkpoint in Gazipur's Porabari area around 5:30am on information that a consignment of 30kgs cannabis was being transported to Mymensingh, he said.

At one point of the search, the truck crossed the checkpoint but refused to follow Rab's signal and tried to speed up and flee.

Constable Idris and Deputy Assistant Director Golam Mostafa, on a motorcycle, chased the truck, he said.

The "drug peddlers" then attempted to kill the Rab members, throwing a sack of cannabis at their moving motorcycle from the truck.

They, however, remained unhurt and pillion rider Mostafa got down and seized the drug.

Idris alone started chasing the truck up to Bhaluka in Mymensingh. As he tried to intercept the truck opposite the Coca-Cola factory there, the truck driver ran him over and sped away.

Idris died on the spot, Rab officials said.

Law enforcers later seized the truck from Bhaluka but the truck driver and others fled away.

Rab filed a murder case with Bhaluka Police Station in this regard.

Idris joined Bangladesh Police in 2011. Rab handed Tk 1 lakh to the deceased's wife and Tk 50,000 to his father.

According to Rab, at least 27 Rab members were killed and more than 500 others were injured during drives so far.