Male members of the village inhabited mostly by Marma tribesmen are fleeing homes as forest department officials filed a case against 300 villagers terming them 'illegal loggers'.

Twenty-five year old Mong Mong was killed when army opened fire to quell clashes between forest department men and illegal loggers in the village in a remote hilly area on Thursday. Mong Mong was not involved in the clashes, his wife and other villagers claimed.

A police official at the district headquarter declined to comment when asked why the case by the victim's wife was yet to be recorded by the police station concerned.

Sui Aung Crui said her husband was the only earning member of their five-member family including her widow mother.

"We have none to support us now", she said standing at door of her thatched house. A mother of two children, 22 year-old Sui is expecting another baby in about two months.

Army had rushed there when officials of the Fring Khyong reserve forest sent an appeal to "save them from loggers' attack", according to Rangamati Assistant Police Superintendent Moha-mmed Ali.

He said a police team is in the spot to probe the incident.

Kaptai Upazila Nirbahee Officer (UNO) Md Nurul Alam also visited the spot but he declined to make any comment whe asked by newsmen on Sunday.