On information that Sohel, 25, and his accomplices were preparing for a big criminal operation,

Tangail sadar police raided Laojan Chilabari area at around 1:00am, police said, adding that

some 15 outlaws opened fire on police, leading to a 15-minute shootout that left Sohel bullet-hit and dead.

Sub-inspectors Fazlul Karim and Kamal Hossain and three police constables received bullet wounds during the gun battle while the other outlaws fled the scene.

The injured policemen were undergoing treatment at Tangail Police Lines Hospital.

Police recovered a rifle with three bullets, one large dagger, and some used shells from the spot.

Sohel, the chief of the notorious Sohel group, was an absconder accused in nine criminal cases including eight of murder in different police stations under the district, police said.

Other sources, however, claimed that Tangail sadar police arrested Sohel three days before and no police members were injured in the incident.