5 cops injured in shootout with gunrunners
4 held, 7 firearms recovered
Unb, Cox's Bazar
Five policemen and one suspected gunrunner were wounded in an exchange of fire as a police team foiled an arms-smuggling bid at Moghdata in Rashidnagar area of Ramu upazila Tuesday night.Cox's Bazar SP Shahidullah Chowdhury said the clash ensued at about 10:00pm when Ramu Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Mahbubul Huq challenged the gang of five gunrunners trying to sail for Chittagong by a speedboat to sell 15 firearms. "As the arms smugglers were challenged, they opened fire on the police team. The police also retaliated by opening fire," said a spot account of the shootout. During the exchange of fire, OC Mahbubul Huq and four policemen and one smuggler, Abdul Gafur, suffered minor bullet wounds. Out of the consignment of 15 firearms, police recovered eight while seven were thrown into water by the smugglers. The firearms were believed to be manufactured in a clandestine arms factory at Maheshkhali offshore island of the Bay. Police arrested suspected members of the racket -- Abdul Gafur, Rokeya Begum, Abdul Hakim and Nurul Hakim -- all hailed from Baro Maheshkhali village at Maheshkhali.
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