Bangladesh arrests 23 armed Rohingya trespassers from Myanmar

The registered residents of refugee camps had crossed the border into Myanmar amid fighting between the military and rebels

Police have arrested 23 armed Rohingya men who were caught by Border Guard Bangladesh after trespassing from Myanmar amid fighting between the military and rebels.

Police were taking legal action against them and trying to find out why the registered residents of refugee camps had crossed the border into Myanmar, said Mahfuzul Islam, superintendent of police in the district.

A case was started against them at Ukhiya Police Station in Cox’s Bazar after their arrest on Friday.

The refugees carrying 12 arms and ammunition entered Bangladesh through different points, according to Mahfuzul.

Panic has gripped the Tumbru border area in Bandarban's Naikhongchhari Upazila and Ukhiya in Cox’s Bazar over the past week, with gunshots regularly ringing out from the Myanmar side amid heavy fighting between security forces and rebels from the Arakan Army.

Gunfire and mortar shells also reached Bangladeshi territory in the past few days, hitting homes, and killing two people, including a woman.

Bangladesh strongly protested against the casualties by summoning the ambassador of Myanmar on Tuesday.

Local residents have also claimed that several armed men have infiltrated the Rohingya camps in the south coast.

Addressing these claims, BGB Director General Maj Gen Ashrafuzzaman Siddiqui on Wednesday said, "We have received information about a few criminals. They will be handed over to the police."