2 'abductors' beaten to death

Two alleged kidnappers were beaten to death and four hostages were freed from them by a mob of villagers in Lama upazila of the district.

The incident took place near Hargaja Fakirakhola area under Fashiakhali union around midnight on Tuesday.

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The freed hostages, day labourers by profession, were identified as Manur Alam, 55, Kalaputu, 38, Jahir Alam, 40, and Jaber Ahmed, 48 -- all residents of Hargaja area.

The identities of the deceased could not be determined till filing of this report.

According to Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Lama Police Station, an armed group of criminals swooped in on the day labourers and took them hostage around 9:00pm when they were returning home from a local market.

Hundreds of locals came out of their houses as the news of the abduction broke out. They tracked down and surrounded the gang of criminals around midnight in a remote, inaccessible area in the hills, said the OC.

At one stage the mob turned violent and attacked the kidnappers, leaving two of them dead on the spot, he said, adding that the other members of the gang managed to flee before the police arrived at the scene. 

Police recovered and sent the corpses to Bandarban Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

Sanjit Kumar Banik, superintendent of Bandarban police, said at least 10 to 12 individuals were involved in the crime.

"A local Awami League leader was also kidnapped in the same area on July 29. Since the area is remote and inaccessible, it's difficult for us to apprehend them [criminals]," he added.

Mizanur Rahman, son of ward 2 AL leader, Nurul Absar, 52, said the kidnappers freed his father after a ransom of Tk 3 lakh was paid to them.

Zakir Hossain Mazumder, chairman of Fashiakhali union parishad, said a gang of around 18 to 20 criminals from adjacent Chakoria and Ramu upazilas under Cox's Bazar has been kidnapping people in the area over a long period of time. "We discussed the situation with the law enforcement agencies many times, but all to no avail."