Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar

Seven suspected Rohingya robbers were killed in an alleged gunfight with Rab in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf early yesterday.

This is the highest number of casualties in a single incident of “gun-battle” in Bangladesh in recent times.

With the seven, at least 15 alleged Rohingya criminals have been killed in “gunfights” with law enforcers since February last year, show media reports.

Talking on the issue, rights activists said such incidents were the result of a culture of impunity prevailing in the country.

Wing Commander Azim Ahmed, commanding officer of Rab-15, said acting on a tip-off that a group of robbers was hiding in Shalbagan Lalporirjum Hill, adjacent to Jadimura-Nayapara 26 and 27 Rohingya Refugee Camps, a Rab team raided the area around 2:00am yesterday.

First, the Rab members cordoned off the area and then using a megaphone asked the robbers to surrender. But at this, the criminals opened fire on them, forcing the law enforcers to fire retaliatory shots, he claimed at a press briefing at his office in Cox’s Bazar last evening.

The “gunfight” continued for nearly four hours. After it ended, the Rab members searched the area and recovered seven bullet-hit bodies, he said.

Talking to The Daily Star, Sakia Hoque, a doctor at the emergency unit of Teknaf Upazila Health Complex, said the seven bodies and three injured Rab members were taken there early yesterday morning.

The seven were brought dead and the Rab members were released after they were given primary treatment, he said.

Azim also claimed to have recovered three pistols, seven one-shot guns,12 bullets and 13 abandoned bullet shells from the spot.

Rab officials said the deceased were members of a notorious robber gang led by Zokir Ahmed.

Azim said they had been trying to nab the gang for the last 15 days. Its members were involved in robbery, yaba trade and human trafficking.

He identified four of the deceased as Md Faruk, 35, a resident of Block-D at Camp 27; Nur Hossain Nuraiyya, 35, a resident of Block-E at Camp 27, Md. Imran, 22, a resident of Shalbagan Camp, and Ali Hossain, 27, a resident of Camp-27.

Identities of the three others could not be confirmed till late last night.

Pradip Kumar Das, officer-in-charge (OC) of Teknaf Police Station, said the bodies were sent to Cox’s Bazar General Hospital for autopsy. Rab has filed a case with the police station in this connection.