ARSA commander killed in police shootout at Ukhiya camp

A Rohingya man – Abdul Majid alias Lalaia, 45 – has been killed during a firing between the police and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) at a Rohingya camp in Ukhiya of Cox’s Bazar.

The shootout took place at block A-8 of camp No 19 in Balukhali around 10:00 am on Tuesday, said Faruk Ahmed, assistant superintendent (ASP) of armed battalion police-8.

He claimed Abdul Majid to be an ARSA commander accused in four murder cases in the Rohingya camp.

ASP Faruk said the ARSA commander died on the spot after being hit by a bullet. His body was found in a Rohingya residence, along with a firearm and two ammunitions. Two cops have also been injured in the firing.

Later, the police raided the Rohingya camp and arrested three ARSA terrorists. They are Mohammad Taher, 45; Liaqat Ali, 25; and Jamal Hossain, 20.

Sheikh Mohammad Ali, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ukhiya police station, said the dead body has been sent to Cox's Bazar sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. No case was filed until 6:30 pm. However, preparations were underway for filing a case over the incident.

According to the police and witnesses, around 25 armed ARSA members surrounded several Rohingya residences at the block A-8 around 9:00 am, to kidnap some Rohingyas.

Being tipped off, a team of armed police battalion (APBN) went there around 10:00am. Later, the ARSA men took shelter in the adjacent houses, including that of Hamida Begum. Some other ARSA men gathered there in the meantime.

At around 10:15 am, a team of around 50 ARSA men opened fire on the police, forcing them to fire back in self defense. After around 30 minutes of gun battle, the ARSA men retreated and moved towards the nearby forest.

Later, the police searched the residences and arrested the three from there. They also found Abdul Majid dead in one of the residences.