Four ‘drug peddlers’ killed in ‘infighting’

Four drug peddlers were killed in a gunfight between two groups of dealers in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar early yesterday, said police.

The dead were Nasir Uddin, 23, of Kharangkhali village, Mohammad Anwar 24, of Purba Maheshkhalia Para, Mohammad Ismail, 25, of Satgharia Para, and Anwar Hossain, 22, of Amtoli village in the upazila.

On information, a police team rushed to Nayapara Kharangkhali area where two groups of drug peddlers were involved in the gunfight over yaba trade around 4:00am, said Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station.

Sensing the law enforcers' presence, the criminals opened fired to flee the spot, the OC said, adding that in self-defence, police fired back and found four of them lying on the spot.

The injured were rushed to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared them dead, the police officer added.

Police claimed to have recovered 50,000 yaba tablets, two firearms, and eight bullets from the spot.

The bodies were sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsies.

Police filed three cases in connection with the incident.

OC Pradip said the peddlers smuggled in the drugs from Myanmar.