An indigenous boy was killed on Monday night during an exchange of fire between an army patrol team and criminals in a remote area of Bandarban's Rowangchhari upazila.

The deceased, Kya Thing Aung, 14, of Gerao Vitor Mukh Para, was a class-VII student at Rowangchhari Government High School.

Brig Gen Chowdhury Mohammad Azizul Haque Hazary, Bangladesh Army's Bandarban region commander, said a group of criminals, hiding in the hills, opened fire at one of their patrol teams around 8:00pm.  

The incident happened as the team, acting on a tip-off, was on its way to detain some criminals who were demanding extortion money from an owner of a brick kiln, just four kilometres south off the Rowangchhari army camp, he said.

“Our patrol team retaliated with fire. Both sides fired some 55 bullets … At one stage, what I assume, the criminals fled the scene,” Chowdhury said.

Later, the army personnel searched the places from where the gunshots came and found the boy lying wounded, he said. “We rushed the innocent boy to Rowangchhari health complex where he was given treatment.” 

As per doctors' suggestion, army personnel shifted the boy to Bandarban Sadar Hospital that night. As his condition deteriorated, doctors again advised he be taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

“Unfortunately, the boy died of his injuries at a place near Patiya on the way to the hospital,” the army official said.