Md. Kamruzzaman
16 May 2019•Update: 17 May 2019
DHAKA
Two suspected human traffickers were killed in a gun-battle with police in the wee hours of Tuesday at Bangladesh's southeastern border, police and local media said.
The two killed have been identified as Azim Ullah (22) and Abdus Salam (52), daily Jugantor reported.
Police raided a spot near Marine Drive area in Teknaf upazila after receiving a tip off.
“During a gun-fight two human traffickers received bullet wounds. They succumbed to their wounds after reaching a local health complex," said Pradip Kumar Das, an officer at the Teknaf Police Station, according to the report.
Md Kamal Hussain, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar city, where thousands of Rohingya have taken refuge, told Anadolu Agency they have launched a crackdown on human traffickers taking the refugees to Malaysia.
Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attacks since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women, and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017.
Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).
The report also said that more than 34,000 Rohingya were thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others were beaten.
