Rohingya man killed in Cox’s Bazar ‘gunfight’

A Rohingya man, allegedly involved in yaba smuggling, was killed in a reported gunfight with paramilitary force Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Cox's Bazar early today.

Two BGB members were also injured in the incident, our local correspondent reports quoting BGB official.

The deceased -- Syed Alam (35) -- was a Myanmar national but living in Naitangpara of the district's Sadar upazila for the last 10 years.

On information that a large consignment of yaba would be smuggled into Bangladesh from Myanmar, a BGB team took position in Keyari Khal area in Teknaf, said Lt Colonel Mohammad Foysal Hasan Khan, commander of BGB Battalion-2.

Around 2:00am, the team noticed two men roaming the area and another man crossed the Naf river into Bangladesh from Myanmar, the CO added.

Seeing this, the troops instructed the three to stop but they fired, defying the instruction, leaving two of the BGB members injured, he said.

In self defence, the BGB men fired back that triggered a gunfight between them, he added.

After the gunfight, the paramilitary force found a man with bullet wounds and recovered 40,000 yaba tablets and a firearm with cartridges.

The injured person was rushed to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex from where he was taken to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.

He was declared brought dead at Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital, the BGB official added.

The body has been kept at the hospital's morgue.