[Bangla Daily Star] Ten robbers were killed in shootouts with police and mob beating in Cox's Bazar yesterday.
| That's quite a haul. Usually they only get one or two. |
A villager was also killed in the exchange of fire between the gang and the police that left at least 21 others including four coppers bullet-hit.
"Sergeant O'Siddique!"
"Yes, captain?"
"Daily target practice for the men until they can hit what they're aiming at, Sergeant. On-side bullet-hitting just isn't done, and I don't like wounded miscreants. They talk." |
The robbers carrying guns and sharp weapons also attacked villagers who chased them.| Someone in that sentence made an unwise decision... |
The series of incidents started at Ratnapalong village in Ukhia upazila
around 2:30am
| A good time to be miscreanting... |
as a gang of 23 dacoits looted valuables from four houses, police said.
| Hey! At least they're not lolling about living off the taxpayer. These twenty-three men are clearly working hard to support themselves, not to mention any dependents desperate enough to depend on such desperate miscreants. |
Of the dacoits, six were killed in firing while trying to escape a police dragnet and four were beaten to death by villagers.
| Efficiency is a force multiplier, especially when the local population can be gotten to supply the additional force. |
The dead were suspected as Rohingya refugees,
| No wonder they're desperate. What is a Rohingya? |
Cox's Bazar Superintendent of Police Nibash Chandra Majhi told The Daily Star.
The villager killed in the shootout was identified as Jasim Uddin, 28, a returnee from Dubai, and son of Abul Khayer of Goalia Palong Nayapara village in Ramu upazila.
| One hopes for his family's sake that Mr. Uddin was one of those who prospered among the sons of Arabs, not the many who spent a decade going deeper in debt to the man who hired him. |
Police tossed in the slammer one of the robbers, Abul Kashem, at Goalia on the boundary of Ukhia and Ramu upazilas. He hails from Banshkhali upazila of Chittagong.
Earlier, on information from locals,
| More members of the Weasel clan... |
a squad of Ukhia police led by Officer-in-Charge Niaz Mohammad had rushed to Ratnapalong village. Sensing police presence,
| "My Spidey senses, they burrrrn!" |
the robbers opened fire on them triggering a shootout.
Four cops, Jasim Uddin and 16 other villagers were hit by bullets. Jashim died on way to local upazila health complex.
| "Yes, Jim, he is dead. Good catch, lad." |
The SP along with Ukhia and Ramu police cordoned Goalia area at about 5:30am. The gang members again traded fire with the law enforcers.
Police later found the bodies of six robbers in a bush.
| It was a large bush, or perhaps the robbers were very small. |
About 200 shots were fired during the shootout with the gang, police said.
Search for the other robbers continued for hours. Police recovered a locally-made rifle and six bullets.
At about 2:00pm, the villagers caught four robbers when they were trying to escape to hilly areas. They were beaten to death.
Of the four bullet-hit coppers, Sub-Inspector Gobinda Das and constable Rashedul Islam were admitted to Ukhia upazila health complex.
Two others -- Morshed and Tutul-- were shifted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital as their condition deteriorated. They suffered head injuries.
The others with bullet injuries were admitted to the upazila health complex, Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital and clinics. |