Two policemen including a sub-inspector were also hurt during the shootouts with bands of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) and Biplobi Communist Party (BCP).

Earlier, on Thursday evening, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) raided the houses of a journalist and three local political leaders in Dumuria upazila of Khulna searching for PBCP men on the run.

Of the five slain in Chuadanga, PBCP cadres Mabud Ali, 25, and Habibul Islam, 36, of Fatehpur village were in police custody and killed in 'crossfire' in the early hours yesterday, police claimed.

The other three -- Khairul Islam, 32, Borhan Uddin, 39, and Gius Uddin Sentu, 41, of Parlaksmipur village -- were top-notch BCP cadres, who died in another gunfight with police in the afternoon.

Mabud was accused in seven criminal cases including four for murder and Habib in nine including three murder cases, said Alamdanga police. They arrested the duo in Kuthichar area of Jhenidah district Thursday noon and brought to Alamdanga Police Station for interrogation.

Police said a team of them started for Fatehpur village along with Mabud and Habib Thursday midnight to recover a cache of firearms the arrestees had confessed.

According to police, as they reached Narayankandi Beel, a lake near to the village and five kilometres from the upazila headquarters, at about 2:45am, a band of PBCP men ambushed them, forcing them to open fire in return.

Police said Mabud and Habib were caught in crossfire as they tried to escape in handcuffs from a police van and died on the spot.

A police constable sustained splinter injuries from bombs blasted by outlaws on the police team.

According to police, at least 40 shots were exchanged during the half-hour gunfight, of which they admitted to have fired 14 shots. They retrieved two shotguns and 13 bullets from the spot.

In the second case, police raided a house at Parlaksmipur village at about 3:00pm, tipped-off that armed outlaws were holding a meeting in it.

According to sources, at least 20 BCP cadres were present in the meeting.

Police said, sensing their presence, the BCP men opened fire. As police retaliated, a two-hour battle followed that killed Khairul, Borhan and Sentu on the spot.

The rest of the outlaws managed to escape with at least 10 of them severely injured, police said, adding one of their sub-inspectors was also wounded in the skirmish.

Police recovered two rifles and 13 more bullets from this spot. According to them, the three BCP men killed here were accused in various cases including some for murders and abductions filed with Alamdanga Police Station.

Police sent the bodies to Chuadanga Sadar Hospital for autopsy.

With these latest casualties, the number of outlaws killed in such incidents in the district since May 12 rose to 25.

HUNT IN KHULNA
Our staff correspondent in Khulna reports members of Rab raided and searched the houses of a journalist and two local leaders of the BNP and one of Awami League (AL) Thursday evening in Dumuria upazila.

The houses are of Dainik Jugantar's Dumuria Correspondent M A Ershad, upazila BNP president and Dhamalia Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Gazi Tafsir Ahmed, upazila BNP secretary Khan Ali Mansur, and local AL leader and Shovna UP Chairman Matiar Rahman Bacchu. None of them were present during the raids.

The Rab said they made the raids acting on a tip-off that armed cadres of Janajuddha faction of PBCP were hiding there.

Ershad's wife alleged Ranjan Das, an accomplice of slain founder of New Purbo Banglar Communist Party Monoranjon alias Mrinal, was seen assisting the Rab in their search.