Joint Force Operation in Remote Hills of Ukhiya-Teknaf: Large Cache of Arms and Narcotics Seized
Daily Bijoy News Teknaf (Cox's Bazar) Correspondent:
In a joint operation lasting eight hours in the remote hills of Hnila Union and Baharchhara under Cox’s Bazar’s border upazila Teknaf, RAB and combined forces conducted a drive to eradicate narcotics and prevent abductions. They recovered three locally made firearms, 12 rounds of fresh bullets and cartridges, yaba pills, and a significant number of locally made ramdas (machetes).
The weapons were seized from hideouts of kidnappers in the deep hills of Hnila and Baharchhara unions from Thursday (May 8) morning till afternoon. Lieutenant Colonel Kamrul Hasan, commanding officer of RAB-15 Battalion in Cox’s Bazar, confirmed the matter at a press conference at 3:30 PM.
He stated that Cox’s Bazar district is a crime-prone area, where incidents of narcotics, smuggling, and abductions frequently occur. Recently, both drug-related crimes and abductions have increased at an alarming rate. Over the past three months, around 40 abduction cases have been reported in Cox’s Bazar district, with 30 of them occurring in Teknaf and Ukhiya upazilas.
According to intelligence sources, kidnappers in Teknaf and Ukhiya upazilas keep their victims in remote hilly areas such as Jalia Palang, Shamlapur, and Kutumguhain Ukhiya, as well as Rangikhali, Alikhali, and Jahaliapara in Teknaf. These inaccessible hilly areas are considered safe havens by criminals and kidnappers due to the difficulty faced by law enforcement in reaching them.
To identify and destroy these hideouts and cut off drug supply routes, a coordinated operation was launched on Thursday morning involving over 500 personnel from RAB and other forces. Alongside RAB, the operation included active participation from the army, BGB, APBn, police, and the forest department.
He further added that during the raid, several temporary shelters and cottages used by criminals were discovered. A search of these locations led to the recovery of 100 grams of cannabis, 2,050 yaba pills, 2 LG guns, 1 one-shooter gun, 11 bullets, 1 firearm-making tool, 4 ramdas, 2 knives, 1 dagger, and 3 kirij (sharp weapons).
Daily Bijoy News / Shamsul Alam Sharek
