Shawdesh Desk: Two suspected Rohingya drug peddlers were killed in a reported gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Shamlapur area on Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf upazila early Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Abul Hasim, 30, son of Hossain Sharif and Mohammad Ayub, 24, son of Shamsul Alam. Both were residents of Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhiya.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shah Alam, in-charge of Rab-15 CPC-2 Hoaikyang Camp, said a Rab team conducted a drive in the area after being tipped-off about smuggling of a large amount of contraband Yaba pills.
But as soon as the Rab team reached the spot, the criminals opened fire, which led to a gunfight, he claimed.

“Hasim and Ayub suffered gunshot wounds and were caught after the skirmish,” he said. “They were taken to Ukhiya Health Complex where doctors pronounced them dead.”

Three members of Rab were also injured in the gunfight, the ASP claimed, adding that they recovered 10,000 Yaba pills, two locally-made guns and five bullets from the spot.

Alam said the bodies were sent to Cox’s Bazar hospital morgue for autopsy and added that a case will be filed in this regard.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas in camps in the coastal district of Cox’s Bazar. Most of them fled their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since August 2017.

Many Rohingya are accused of being involved in smuggling, drug dealing, mugging and various crimes. A number of Rohingyas, suspected to be drug dealers, have been killed in alleged gunfights with the law enforcement agencies over the months.