Two suspected drug dealers were killed in separate “gunfights” with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Ukhiya and Teknaf of Cox's Bazar in the early hours of Sunday.
Both incidents coincidentally took place around 4am. The Ukhiya one took place in the upazila’s Tulatuli area under the Rajapalang union and the Teknaf one in the upazila’s Damdamia Nature Park area under the Hnila union, according to BGB officials.
They identified the one who died in Ukhiya as Md Shahjahan, 27, of Rajapalang. The other deceased in Teknaf, however, is yet to be identified.
BGB officials claimed some 390,000 yaba pills, two locally-made guns and a sword were recovered from the scenes of the two so-called gunfights.
Lt Col Ali Haider Azad Ahmed, the commander of Cox's Bazar-based 34th BGB Battalion, said a BGB team. acting on a tip-off about a yaba consignment coming from Myanmar, had set up near a bridge in Tulatuli’s Jaliler Goda area.
He said the exchange of fire occurred when the group of drug dealers and smugglers found out the BGB team’s position and tried to flee by opening fire. Shajahan was shot in the crossfire when the troopers returned fire.
He was rushed to Ukhiya Upazila Health Complex where duty doctors declared him dead. BGB members later recovered 50,000 yaba pills and a single-barrel gun from the scene, Lt Col Ahmed added.
He said Shahjahan was accused in more than 10 cases filed over drugs or robbery charges.
Meanwhile, in Teknaf, 2nd BGB Battalion Commander Lt Col Md Foisal Hasan Khan said a BGB team had set up an ambush on a bank of Naf River to catch a group of smugglers coming by boat from Myanmar with a big yaba consignment.
The gunfight took place under similar circumstances in Ukhiya, according to the official statement. The unidentified man who died in the crossfire is in his late 20s.
Soon after, 340,000 yaba pills, a gun, and a sword were recovered from the spot at Keora Bagan on the bank of Naf, added Lt Col Khan. A case was also filed later at Teknaf police station over the matter.
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