Four ‘drug peddlers’ killed in ‘shootouts’

Four alleged drug peddlers were killed in so-called gunfights with Rab and BGB in Cox’s Bazar and Cumilla early yesterday.

Of them, three were killed in a “shootout” with the Rab members in Teknaf upazila’s Paharidhala area around 3:00am.

They are Dil Mohammad, 42, Rashedul Islam, 22, and Shahidul Islam, 42. 

However, family members of Shahidul said he was a trader. They alleged that around 11:00am Saturday, four plainclothes men in a microbus came to his shop on IBP road in Cox’s Bazar town and picked him up.

Shahidul’s father Abul Kashem was present there at that time. He said the plainclothes men had firearms with them.

“My son had been abroad for many years. He returned home six or seven months ago and started to run a grocery shop. He was not accused in any case,” he said.

Kashem said the plainclothes men came to the shop again two hours after picking up Shahidul and gave them a mobile number for contacting them. But he could not communicate with anybody as no one received his calls.

After Shahidul was picked up, traders of Cox’s Bazar town’s Boro Bazar gave a memorandum to the Cox’s Bazar police superintendent, seeking trace of Shahidul. They also informed Rab of the matter. But all denied picking up Shahidul.

Lt Mirza Shahed Mahtab, camp commander of Rab-15 in Teknaf, said a Rab team conducted an anti-drug drive in Paharidhala area around 3:00am, acting on a tip-off that some drug peddlers would smuggle yaba pills there.

Sensing the Rab members’ presence, the drug peddlers opened fire. The Rab team retaliated, triggering the “gunfight”, the Rab official said.

After the “gun battle”, the Rab team found three drug peddlers bullet-hit. They were taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, the official added.

Rab claimed that two of their members -- constables Sohel, 28, and Jahangir, 32 -- were injured in the incident. They took primary treatment. 

Rab also claimed to have recovered 1.40 lakh yaba pills, four locally made guns, and 21 cartridges.

In Cumilla, another suspected drug peddler -- Abul Hashem, 52 -- was killed in a similar incident with Border Guard Bangladesh in Sadar Dakshin upazila around 2:30am.

BGB-10 Commander Lt Col Abu Mohammad Mohiuddin said a team was conducting an anti-drug raid in Rajeshpur Eco Park area when some drug peddlers opened fire, prompting a “gunfight”.  

After the “gunfight”, the BGB team found Hashem bullet-wounded and took him to Cumilla Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

The BGB claimed to have recovered 18,380 yaba tablets from the spot.

Our correspondents in Cox’s Bazar and Cumilla contributed to this report.