Bangladeshi youth gunned down by 'Indian Khasis' near Sylhet border

Locals say he used to smuggle goods from India and sell those in Bangladesh

A 25-year-old Bangladeshi man was allegedly shot dead by the Indian Khasi community near the border in Sylhet's Gowainghat Upazila.

Relatives said Minhaj Uddin was killed inside the Indian state of Meghalaya around 4am on Saturday.

However, neither his relatives nor Sylhet police could confirm why he had been there.

Minhaj was the son of Kamar Uddin of Bhadeshwar village in West Jaflong Union of the Upazila.

According to locals, he used to smuggle goods from India and sell those in Bangladesh.

Gowainghat Police chief Omar Faruq said the family informed them that Minhaj had been shot dead by Indian Khasis.

The body was sent to the morgue for a local hospital, he said.

Sylhet Battalion-48 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) chief Lt Col Md Nazmul Haque told reporters, “It is initially known that Minhaj had entered about 1km inside Indian territory for theft or some other malicious purpose.

“He was injured by in firing by Khasis there. Later he was brought back to Bangladesh and died on the way to the hospital,” said Lt Col Nazmul.

BGB patrols along the border have been intensified, he added.

Both BGB and police say investigations are under way into the killing.