A case has been filed four days after Army soldier Titas Sheikh was killed in a gunfight with suspected human traffickers during a joint forces operation in the remote hills of Rangikhali in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar.
The case names 27 individuals and accuses 17 unidentified others. Six of the named accused, including the prime accused, have been arrested by law enforcement agencies.
Teknaf Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Saiful Islam confirmed the matter to journalists on Monday.
He said Army Warrant Officer Minhajul Islam filed the case early Monday morning, naming Mohammad, a resident of Rohingya Camp 24, as the prime accused. Most of the accused are Rohingya, while several are Bangladeshi nationals.
The OC said the prime accused was detained while attempting to flee during the joint forces operation on the day of the incident.
The case includes charges under three separate laws relating to murder, human trafficking and firearms. Police have begun investigating the case, while operations are underway to arrest the remaining accused, he added.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a gunfight broke out between joint forces and suspected human traffickers during an operation in the remote hills of Rangikhali on Thursday evening.
During the exchange of fire, Titas Sheikh, 27, was shot in the left shoulder and critically injured. He was initially taken to a nearby hospital for first aid before being transferred to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Ramu for advanced treatment, where doctors declared him dead.
Four suspected human traffickers were arrested while attempting to flee after the operation. The joint forces also rescued 56 people who had been held captive at the hideout.
Two more suspects were arrested in a special joint forces operation the following day. Two foreign-made pistols, four rounds of ammunition and several other items were also recovered from the detainees.
Titas hailed from Laskardia village in Nagarkanda upazila of Faridpur. According to his family, he joined the Bangladesh Army as a soldier in 2017 and was serving at the Rangikhali Army Camp in Teknaf as a member of the Bir unit 1.
He was the eldest of three siblings. His father, Afzal Sheikh, is a retired army personnel, while his younger brother, Akash Hossain, is also serving in the army.