Security forces on Wednesday detained three members of the Arakan Army (AA), declared a “terrorist group” by the Myanmar government, as they fled their country and tried to enter Bandarban.
The detainees are Niwai, 29, Chasi, 32, and Chalumang, 28. They hail from the state of Arakan in Myanmar.
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Bandarban Sadar police station, said they entered through the Walidong area on Bangladesh-Myanmar border a few days ago and a case has been filed against them under the Illegal Entry Act.
According to police and local sources, on Wednesday evening, the people in charge of the check post at the entrance of Bandarban Sadar upazila were checking the suspected passengers on a daily basis.
During an initial interrogation of the passengers of an autorickshaw, the three passengers confessed to being members of the rebel group in Myanmar. They were then detained and handed over to police.
The detainees admitted they took a three-month long training at Arakan Army camp and then fled to Bangladesh due to the recent conflict in Myanmar, the police and locals added.
Meanwhile, among the detainees, Chassi's sister lives in the Dolupara area of Bandarban. They were entering Bandarban by autorickshaw from Cox's Bazar amid the lockdown.
Over the years, members of various rebel armed groups in Myanmar, including the Arakan Army, have infiltrated various upazilas of the district and caused various crimes including murder, extortion and kidnapping.
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