Rohingya man killed in 'gunfight'

A Rohingya man, described as a notorious robber by the law enforcement, was killed in what the members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) called a gunfight with them in Teknaf on early Monday.

The deceased was identified as Nurul Amin, son of one Maktaul Hossain.

RAB said the gunfight took place around 3:00am at Nurali Para hills.

“Lance naik Azharul Islam and soldier Md Sohel were injured in firing by a gang of robbers from the hill, prompting the elite force members to fire in self defence,” said RAB-15 Teknaf camp’s company commander lieutenant Mirza Shahed Mahtab.

The robbers fled after the skirmish.

Mahtab said Nurul Amin had sustained gunshot wounds during the gunfight. “We took him to Teknaf Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries,” the RAB officer said.

Three locally-made guns, bullets, and 11 SIM cards of Myanmar mobile operators, among others, were recovered from the site, the elite force said.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas who had fled their homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine State over the years to escape persecution.

Many Rohingyas have been found to be involved in various criminal activities.