Bangladeshis kill 4 Rohingya suspects

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Four suspected members of a Rohingya group reported to be involved in kidnapping for ransom were killed in a gunfight with Bangladeshi police near the sprawling camps where refugees from Burma live, officials said.

The gunfight took place Friday when a team of security officials was searching for the gang leader in a forest near the Rohingya camps at Cox’s Bazar, said police inspector Pradeep Kumar Das.

Another inspector, Morzina Akhter, said the suspects opened fire at police, sparking the gunfight that led to their deaths. Police also recovered about 40,000 pills and locally made guns, he said.

According to authorities and media reports, the gang led by Abdul Hakim has kidnapped many locals for ransom and killed those whose families failed to pay. The gang was suspected of abducting at least seven Bangladeshis over the past two months and killing three hostages. Hakim remains at large.

While human-rights groups acknowledge there are criminal elements among the Rohingya refugees, they have urged authorities to thoroughly investigate such cases.

In March, police fatally shot seven suspected members of a Rohingya gang thought to be involved in drug dealing and human trafficking.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Burma into Bangladesh after the Buddhist-majority country’s military began a crackdown against them in August 2017 in response to an attack by insurgents.