Mohammad Selim, 30, died in the capital, Rajab Ali, 30, in Natore and Ajmat Ali, 35, in Pabna.

DHAKA
Selim, accused in several cases including two for murders, was killed and a police sub-inspector (SI) received bullet injuries in a shootout between police and a gang of alleged robbers in the city's Dhanmondi area early yesterday.

Selim, son of Montajuddin Sarker of Baufal, Patuakhali, used to live at 34/1 Rayer Bazar in Dhanmondi. His wife termed the incident a cold-blooded murder.

Tipped off, a police team led by the officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhanmondi Police Station (PS) cordoned off and raided a spot on Dhanmondi Road No 3 where a gang was preparing for robbery at around 2:45am yesterday.

According to police, catching sight of the police team, the gang of about six armed men opened fire. Police fired back.

Hit by bullets in the head, Selim died on the spot, while SI Atiqur Rahman received a bullet in his left arm, said the duty officer at Dhanmondi PS.

The rest of the gang managed to escape. Police recovered a sawed-off rifle and five bullets from the spot.

SI Rahman was admitted to Razarbagh Police Lines Hospital.

Police sent Selim's body to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) for autopsy.

Selim's wife Hashi Begum said, "Police picked him (Selim) up from our house Wednesday night and since then we had no information about him until this (Friday) morning."

NATORE
Rajab Ali, son of Sekandar Ali and general secretary of ruling BNP's youth front Jubo Dal's Bahadurpur Ward unit, was killed in alleged crossfire between police and his associates at Gopalpur village under Lalpur upazila in the district at about 2:00pm yesterday.

Lalpur police arrested Ali Thursday afternoon at a local bazaar.

Police said, acting on Ali's confession, they took him out to recover some hidden firearms. Soon as they neared Gopalpur graveyard, Ali's cohorts opened fire on them prompting them to retaliate.

Police claimed several bullets hit Ali during the gunfight leaving him dead on the spot. His associates however managed to flee.

Police retrieved a revolver and 16 bullets from the spot.

The OC of Lalpur PS said Ali stood accused in 15 cases including some for robberies. He also admitted to being involved in the killing of local Awami League leader Jitendranath Datta last Wednesday.

But, family members of Ali alleged he had been murdered deliberately. They said there had been a few cases against him with Lalpur PS, but those were proven false in police investigations.

PABNA
Ajmat Ali, the Pabna regional leader of an outlawed Naxalite party, died in a shootout between Rab members and his accomplices at Hideshkhol village under Atghoria upazila early yesterday.

Rab sources said Ali was arrested at Hideshkhol on Thursday. When a Rab team took him to his den at the village at about 3:30am to recover the hidden arms he had confessed to, his cohorts opened fire on the team, forcing it to fire back.

Rab said Ali was hit by a bullet while trying to escape during the shootout. He was taken to Pabna General Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injury. The body was kept at the hospital's morgue for autopsy.

Rab recovered a shutter gun and two bullets from the spot.

Police said Ali stood accused in several criminal cases including three for murders.