Two unexploded mortar shell were found near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Tumbru Uttar para area of Bandarban’s Naikhongchhari upazila on Sunday afternoon.
AKM Jahangir Aziz, Chairman of Ghumghum Union Parishad, said that locals came to know about the mortar shells due to a loud sound created by it.
“We’re shifting people from the area. A large number of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members have been deployed to avert any untoward situation,” Aziz said.
Also read: Dhaka to lodge protest against Myanmar shelling mortars into Bangladesh: FS
Wishing not to be named, a BGB member said that the mortar shells were fired by the Myanmar army.
Tariqul Islam, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Bandarban district, confirmed the matter, saying that people of the area have been told to remain alert.
According to locals, a fighting has been raging between the Myanmar army and the insurgent group Arakan Army in the Rakhine state for the last two weeks. A fierce fighting between the two forces broke out on Sunday, resulting in patrolling by helicopters and fighting jets of Myanmar on the border skies.
Also read: Int'l community urged to intensify pressure on Myanmar military to stop violence against its people
The finding of the mortar shells is likely to be related to the fighting, said the local administration.