Three suspected drug traders were killed in separate ‘gunfights’ in the capital, Cox’s Bazar and Benapole early Wednesday.

Of them, two ‘drug traders’ were killed in separate ‘gunfights’ with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guad Bangladesh (BGB) while the bullet-hit body of another alleged drug trader was found in Benapole, reports the UNB.

In the capital, suspected drug trader Mehedi Hasan, 32, was killed in a reported gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in city’s Shyamoli area early Wednesday.

Being tipped off that a gang of criminals gathered in the area, a team of RAB-2 conducted a drive there around 6 am, according to sources at RAB-2.

Sensing presence of the elite force members, criminals opened fire to them, forcing RAB members to fire back in self-defence.

At one stage, RAB arrested Mehedi with bullet wounds and taken him to Suhrawardi Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

Mehedi was wanted in 16/17 drug related cases.

Two RAB members were injured in the incident.

The elite force members also recovered a firearm, five cartridges, 300 grams of heroin.

In Cox’s Bazar, a Rohingya youth identified as Zafar Alam, 26, son of Dil Mohammad of Nayapara Musoni no. 26 Rohingya camp in Teknaf, was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with BGB members at Sabrang no. 5 sluice gate early Wednesday.

Tipped off, a team of BGB arrested Zafar on Tuesday night. Following the confessional statement, the BGB team along with Zafar conducted a drive in the area where a consignment of Yaba was being smuggling around 4 am, said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Asaduzzaman Chowdhury, commanding officer of BGB-2.

Sensing presence of the border guards, the smugglers opened fire on them, prompting them to fire back.

At one stage, BGB recovered the body of Zafar and 5000 Yaba pills from the spot.

In Benapole, police recovered the bullet-hit body of a suspected drug trader from Kuchmora in Sharsha upazila of Jashore district early Wednesday.

Acting on secret information that two gangs of drug traders were exchanging bullet in the area, a team of police went to the spot and recovered the bullet-hit body of a man, aged around 33, said Mashiur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sharsha Police Station.

A shutter gun, a bullet and 1.5 kgs of hemp were recovered from the spot.