Staff Reporter :
Nine more suspected drug peddlers were killed in the countrywide anti-narcotics crackdown in last 13 hours since Wednesday dawn.
Our correspondents reported about the crackdown from Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Thakurgaon, Kushtia, Cumilla, Feni, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon and Jamalpur.
Meanwhile, around 50 alleged drug peddlers were reportedly killed in ‘gunfights’ and over 3500 people have been arrested during ongoing crackdown of the law enforcing agencies. But there are widespread allegations that the drug lords still remain untouched.
At P’s Nayapaltan Hadquarters, party’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said, “The deep-rooted political reason behind the current extrajudicial killing spree in the name of eradicating narcotics is to target and kill opposition leaders and activists.”
In Rangpur, Md Shahin, 45, was killed at Hajirhat of Rangpur city around 2:00am, said Saifur Rahman Saif, Additional Police Superintendent of the district.
According to him, police intervened a drug trade where the “gunfight” ensued, and subsequently Shahin died.
Police sent the body to Rangpur Medical College and Hospital for autopsy. There were a number of drug and robbery related cases against him, said police. 129 bottles of phensidyl were also recovered from the spot.
In Lalmonirhat, a listed drug peddler, Eshar Ali, 35, was killed in Dhrala area of Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila. At that time, two police men were also wounded.
Arms, hemp and Phensedyle were seized from them, said SM Rashidul Haque, Superintend of police of Lalmonirhat.
In Gaibandha, Raju Miah, 36, was killed in a gun-battle with the RAB in the early hours of Wednesday.
He was the son of one Jabbar Miah of Rai village of the Upazila’s Barishal Union. The incident took place around 1:30am at Palashbari upazila’s Bisramgachhi village, according to Major Rabbi, Deputy Commander of RAB-13 Gaibandha camp.
Raju was named in 18 cases mainly related to drug trafficking, he said.
RAB recovered a pistol, bullets and cannabis from the scene. Rabbi claimed two RAB members were also wounded during the gunfight.In Thakurgaon, Aktabul, 38, who was arrested during a drive on Monday night, was killed in Pirganj upazila, Farhad Ahmed, Police Superintendent of the district said.
In Kushtia, two drug dealers – Fatik alias Gaffar Sheikh, 37, and Liton Sheikh, 40 – were killed in separate ‘gunfights’ with police in Kumarkhali and Bheramara upazilas, said Abdul Khaleq Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kumarkhali Police Station.
A sack of Phensendyl and local arms were seized during the drive from the spot, the OC said.
In Cumilla, Nurul Absar Ishak alias Isa, an alleged drug peddler, was killed in Samarchar area on the bank of Gumti River under Cumilla Sadar upazila, quoting Md Abu Salam, OC of Kotwali Model police.
In Jamalpur, an unidentified suspected drug peddler was killed in a shootout with police in Shahartoli area of Jamalpur. About one thousand pieces of yaba tablets, pistol, and three rounds of bullets were recovered from the spot.
In Feni, Md Faruk, 35, was killed in Kalipal area of Feni town. He was an alleged drug dealer.
One shooter gun, five rounds of bullets, 22 thousands pieces of yaba pills, and a private car were seized from the spot, quoting Shafayat Jamil Fahim, Captain of RAB-7 Feni camp.
