Three suspected yaba dealers-- including a woman-- have been killed in separate "gunfights' in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.
At Teknaf's Jadimora Shikolgara area, two yaba traders were killed in a reported "gunfight" with Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deceased are-- Md Asmaul Saudagor, 35, and Md Jabed Mia, 34.
During the gunfight, three BGB members, Md Rejaul Karim, Imran Hossain, and Motiyar Rahman were also injured.
"A group of drug peddlers were smuggling a large consignment of yaba pills from Myanmar through Jadimora Shikolgara area of Teknaf, at night. Upon seeing law enforcement, the peddlers opened fire on BGB, prompting them to fire back, triggering a gunfight," BGB 2 commanding officer Lt Colonel Mohammad Foysal Hasan Khan said.
Although other peddlers fled, Asmaul and Jabed were shot in the gunfight. They were first taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where duty doctors referred them to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.
They were declared dead after being taken to the Sadar hospital. The dead bodies have been kept at the hospital's morgue for autopsy.
Later, BGB officials recovered 10,000 yaba pills, one locally-made handgun and three bullets from the scene.
On the other hand, a 32-year-old suspected yaba trader was also killed in a gunfight with police on Wednesday.
According to Teknaf police station OC Pradip Kumar Das, Hamida Begum, 32, was killed during a drug drive run by Teknaf police members.
"Responding to a tip-off, a police team went to Teknaf's Jadimora area, where they met Hamida's group while they were trading yaba pills.
"However, upon seeing them, the traders shot at the police, forcing them to fire back. Hamida was shot in this incident," he said.
"The duty doctor pronounced her dead when she was taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex," he added.
Police recovered 5,000 yaba pills, two locally made gun and eight bullets from the scene.
Two separate cases have been filed with Teknaf police station in connection with these cases.
