Anti-drug Drive: So-called gunfights kill two more

Total victims now 157

Two alleged drug traders were killed in separate “gunfights” in Tangail and Sirajganj yesterday while police recovered the bullet-hit body of another in Chuadanga.

This brings up the number of dead in the ongoing nationwide anti-narcotics drives to at least 157.

Police recovered the bullet hit body of drug trader Abdul Mannan, 45, son of late Ali Hossain at Kandapara in Tangail municipal area.

Police said they suspect Mannan may have been killed in a gunfight following a dispute between two groups of drug traders. However dceased's brothers Golam Rasul, Golam Maula and his son Nazmul Hasan Sumon said police picked up Mannan from his house at 2:00am on Friday. 

Sanjit Kumar Roy, superintendent of police (SP) in Tangail, at a press briefing said police discovered Mannan's body when they raided Charabari are at 7:00am after receiving information from locals. They also recovered a foreign pistol and Yaba pills from Mannan's body.

"Mannan is a top wanted drug peddler in the district and an accused in six cases, " he said. The Daily Star however could not verify any of claims made by the police official. When asked about the claims made by the deceased's family, the SP said he has no such information.

In Sirajganj, a suspected drug peddler Jahangir Hossain, 32, son of late Hatem Ali of Railway Colony Purbapara area, was killed in a 'gunfight' with drug dealers at Mahmudpur field area early yesterday, police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the area around 3:00am, Mahmud Daud, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said. The criminals opened fire on the police forcing them to retaliate.

Afterwards police recovered Jahangir's body and recovered four bullets, 105 Yaba pills and 25 bottles of Phensidyl from the scene. Jahangir is wanted in seven drug-related cases, police said.

Bullet-Hit Body of Drug Dealer Found in Chuadanga

Meanwhile police recovered the body of a drug peddler from Alamdanga upazila. The deceased was identified as Oltu Mia, 27, son of late Mohsin Ali of Gobindpur in the upazila.

Officer-in-charge of Alamdanga Police Station said locals informed the police about Oltu's body in Satkopat area in Alamdanga upazila around 10:30am.

Abu Zehad Md Fakhrul Alam Khan, the OC, said that Oltu was wanted drug dealer; he was also the son-in-law of an infamous dealer Mini Khatun who ran a drugs operation with 11 members of her family. She is now languishing in Chuadanga jail with two daughters and two sons-in-law on drug related cases. Other members of her family including her husband are absconding.

Oltu was running the drug sales after Mini Khatun's was arrest in February, the OC said.

• Courtesy: The Daily Star /June 24, 2018