6 ‘poachers’ killed in Sundarbans

Six suspected tiger poachers were killed in a ‘gunfight’ with police at Mandarbari of the Sundarbans (west) in Koyra upazila on Sunday, reports UNB.

The deceased were identified as Rafiqul Islam 38, Ansar Sana, 55, Siddique Sana, 45, Bappi, 20, Majid Gazi, 35, and Masud Gazi, 38- hailed from different villages of Koira upazila.

A team of Koyra thana police arrested the six ‘tiger poachers’ from different areas of the district early Sunday, said officer-in-charge of the police station Harendra Nath Sarkaer.

Later, the police team took the arrestees to Mandarbari area in the Sundarbans around 4pm in a bid to recover tiger hide and firearms.

Sensing the policemen’s presence, the associates of the poachers opened fire on them, forcing them the fire back that triggered a gunfight, said the OC.

The six ‘tiger poachers’ were caught in the line of fire and died on the spot while other cohorts managed to flee, he added.

Five policemen were also injured in the gunfight, the OC said.

The police team later recovered four guns, three pistols and three pieces of tiger hide from the spot.