A soldier was injured in a gunfight during a joint anti-trafficking operation by the army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and police in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, on Thursday.
The operation led to the arrest of three suspected human traffickers and the rescue of 57 people, including Bangladeshi nationals and Rohingya refugees, from a remote hill hideout.
The operation was conducted in the remote hills between Rohingya camps 24 and 26 in Teknaf on Thursday afternoon.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), law enforcement personnel exchanged gunfire with members of the trafficking ring during the operation, leaving a soldier injured. Three suspected traffickers were arrested, and 57 people were rescued.
A locally made single-shot gun and a pistol were also recovered, police said.
Additional DIG Md Kawser Sikder, commander of the 16th Armed Police Battalion (APBn), said a joint operation was launched with the district police to recover firearms and rescue trafficking victims. One member of the law enforcement agencies was injured during the operation.
Confirming the operation, Cox’s Bazar Superintendent of Police ANS Sajedur Rahman said, “The joint drive is still underway in the hills. We will provide further details once it concludes.”
Local sources said the trafficking ring had held more than 50 people captive at the hill hideout, intending to send them to Malaysia by sea. When law enforcement agencies launched the rescue operation, members of the ring opened fire, triggering an exchange of gunfire.
Two Rohingya camp residents, identified as Md Alam and Md Saddam, were reportedly involved in the incident, according to local sources.
In a separate incident, two people were killed and two others seriously injured after four youths were allegedly taken to the hills and tortured over a drug-related dispute in Teknaf on Wednesday morning.
Police recovered the four from a hill near the West Pankhali Forest Beat Office in Hnila union. Two were found dead, while the injured were rescued and taken to hospital.
The deceased were identified as Moktar Kamal, 37, son of late Abdus Salam of Doingyakata in Whykong union, and Mohammad Akbar, 32, son of Abu Siddique of Balukhali in Ukhiya.
The injured were identified as Ilias, 40, of Tulatoli in Whykong union, and Ali Ahmed, 30, a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver. They were taken to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital.
Local sources said five to seven groups were involved in drug trafficking in the Hnila area, with members reportedly possessing firearms. Clashes and fatalities frequently occur over control of the drug trade and financial disputes, fuelling fear among residents in the border areas.
Bodies are also frequently recovered from different parts of the area.
