2 ‘Yaba smugglers' killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘shootout’

Two suspected Yaba smugglers were killed in a ‘shootout’ with law enforcers in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar early today.

The deceased are Zahid Hossain alias Zaku, 50, son of Joynal Abedin Sawdagar of Kaiuk Khali; and Farid Alam, 45, son of Shamsul Alam of Naikhang Para in the upazila, reports our Cox’s Bazar correspondent.

As part of an anti-crime drive, the members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) conducted a raid in different areas of the upazila and picked up two listed Yaba smugglers -- Zaku and Alam -- from their residences around 12:30am, said BGB Commanding Officer Lt Col Abu Jar-Al-Jahid.

Following their confessional statements, the law enforcers went to Damdamia Natural Park along with the two to recover Yaba tablets hidden by them.

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, cohorts of Zaku and Alam started firing at the Rab and BGB men, prompting them to retaliate that triggered a “gunfight”.  

Zaku and Alam came in the line of fire while trying to escape and died on the spot at about 4: 00am, the BGB official said.          

The law enforcers recovered three homemade guns, 11 bullets and a good amount of Yaba tablets from the scene.

On information, Teknaf police recovered the bodies and sent those to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.