2 Rohingyas killed in ‘gunfight’

Two Rohingyas, who were allegedly involved in yaba trade, were killed in a gunfight with police in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar early yesterday.

Noor Mohammad, 35, and Mohammad Rafique, 25, were from Kutupalang Rohingya Camp in Ukhia upazila, said Prodip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Police Station.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the police conducted a raid in Ulubania village around 6:00pm on Friday and detained Noor and Rafique, said the OC.

During primary interrogation, they confessed that they regularly smuggled yaba from Myanmar to Bangladesh, the police official said.

They also told police that they had recently brought a consignment of the illicit drug and concealed it somewhere in Ulubania village, Prodip said.

Police, taking along the two suspects, conducted a raid in the village around 1:30am yesterday to recover the yaba pills, he added.

As the law enforcers reached the spot, cohorts of the detainees opened fire on them, forcing them to retaliate that triggered a "gunfight", the OC said.

The two caught in the line of bullets during the incident and were taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex and later to Cox's Bazar General Hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries around 5:00am, OC Prodip said, adding that two policemen were also injured during the incident.

Two firearms, five bullets and 158,000 yaba pills were recovered from the spot, the police official said.

Three cases were filed in this connection with Teknaf Police Station.