The deceased have been identified as Moktar Kamal, 48, and Ali Akbar, 30. Both were residents of Amtali in the Hoikong union of Teknaf.
Officer-in-Charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, Mohammad Saiful Islam, said police recovered Moktar Kamal’s body from the Pankhali area of Hnila union at around 9.30am on Wednesday. Ali Akbar’s body was subsequently recovered at approximately 1.30pm from a forested area in Lechuaprang, also within the union.
According to the police, both men appeared to have been beaten to death, with visible injury marks found on their bodies. The remains were sent to the morgue at Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Two other men, who had also allegedly been abducted, were rescued in an injured condition. They were identified as Ilias, 35, and Ali Ahmed, 40.
The officer-in-charge said local drug traders operating in the hilly areas might have been involved in the incident. Preliminary investigations had also indicated that the two deceased men were allegedly connected to drug-related activities.
Police have obtained the names of several individuals suspected of involvement in the killings. However, their identities have not been disclosed as the investigation is ongoing.
Local residents said they spotted several people lying on the ground in the Pankhali area early on Wednesday. When they approached, they found one man dead and two others injured. The injured men were subsequently rescued.
Speaking to journalists, Ilias alleged that the violence stemmed from a dispute over 30,000 missing yaba tablets from a consignment of 100,000 tablets that had reportedly been stolen.
According to his account, several drug traders became involved in a dispute over the missing tablets. He claimed that on Monday night, a man named Mizan handed all four of them over to an armed group of drug traders operating in the hills of Hnila.
The group allegedly accused them of involvement in the disappearance of the tablets and subjected them to beatings and torture under the pretext of holding them accountable. Ilias claimed that Moktar Kamal died as a result of the assault. Ali Akbar, who had remained missing following the incident, was later found dead in the forested area.
These allegations have yet to be independently verified by the authorities. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged abduction, the violence and the deaths.
Mohammad Ali, acting chairman of Hnila Union Parishad, said he had initially learnt that the incident was linked to a dispute over yaba. He added that law enforcement agencies were investigating the matter.
The recovery of the two bodies has raised fresh concerns about criminal activities and armed groups operating in the hilly areas of Teknaf. The investigation is expected to establish who was responsible for the alleged abduction and killings, as well as the precise circumstances that led to the violence.
Police are continuing their inquiries to identify those involved and determine the full sequence of events.
