Rohingya couple killed in ‘gunfight’

A Rohingya couple was killed in a “gunfight” with police in Cox’s Bazar yesterday, hours after they were detained by the law enforcers.

The incident that claimed the duo -- Dil Mohammad, 32, and Zaheda Begum, 27 -- happened at a refugee camp in Hnila union of the district’s Teknaf upazila.

Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station, said they detained the duo with a gun.

On their information, a police team, along with the duo, conducted a raid in the camp to recover firearms, the OC claimed.

As soon as they reached the area, a group of criminals opened fire, forcing the law enforcers to retaliate. At one point of the “gunfight” the duo caught in the line of fire, he added.

Police rushed them to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital where doctors declared them dead, he further said, adding that the bodies were sent to the hospital morgue for autopsies.

Three policemen were also injured during the “gunfight”, the OC said.

Police claimed to have recovered three rifles, eight cartridges and 12 bullet shells from the spot.

The Daily Star, however, could not independently verify the police claims.

Including the duo, a total of 41 Rohingyas have been killed in “gunfights” so far.