‘Robber’ gunned down in Cox’s Bazar

An alleged notorious criminal was gunned down by rival groups at Ramu upazila in Cox’s Bazar district early Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Shafiul Alam alias Ledaputu, 28, son of late Abdul Hakim, a resident of Majhir Kata area in the upazila. He was the second-in-command of notorious criminal Shaheen Dakat.

According to sources, the incident took place around 5:00 AM in front of Katam Masjid at Majhir Kata Beltoli under Gorjonia union, when Shafiul was ambushed and shot by members of a rival criminal group allegedly led by Abdur Rahim, resulting in his death on the spot.

Being informed, Gorjonia police outpost sub-inspector (SI) Md Jewel Chowdhury rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it to Cox’s Bazar General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Ramu Police Station officer-in-charge (OC) Monirul Islam Bhuiyan confirmed the death due to gunshot wounds and said that necessary legal steps would be taken in connection with the incident.

Police said Shafiul was listed as second-in-command of Shaheen Dakat, who is currently in jail. Following Shaheen’s arrest, conflicts over territorial dominance reportedly escalated in the area, with Abdur Rahim’s group allegedly becoming increasingly active in criminal activities, including cross-border crimes.

SU/AM