'Arsa commander' killed in 'gunfight' with APBn

A "commander of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa)" was killed in a "gunfight" with Armed Police Battalion (APBn) at a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya today.

Deceased Abdul Mazid alias Lalaiya, 34, was accused in four murder cases, an APBn official told our Cox's Bazar correspondent.

Three other suspected Arsa members were also arrested and a firearm and two bullets were recovered from the spot, said a statement signed by Md Faruk Ahmed, assistant superintendent of police (media) of APBn-8.

The arrestees are Mohammad Taher, 45; Jamal Hossain, 20; and Liakat Ali, 25. All of them are residents of Camp-19 in Ukhiya.

Two APBn members were injured in the "gunfight", said the statement.

It said an APBn team, acting on a tip-off, raided block-8 of Camp-19 around 10:00am today.

Sensing the presence of law enforcers, some 40 to 50 suspects opened fire on the team and the team fired back in self-defence. The exchange of fire continued for around 20 minutes after which the suspects fled, APBn claimed.

Around an hour later, the APBn team arrested the three people from nearby areas and found the body of Lalaiya inside a room in the refugee camp, said the statement.

The body was sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital.