Two ‘robbers’ killed in ‘crossfire’

The prime suspect in the Saudi-returnee child specialist murder case and an alleged robber were killed in separate “gunfights” with law enforcers in Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

The prime suspect of the child specialist murder case was killed in a reported gunfight with Rab-7 in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram in the early hours of yesterday. 

Najir Ahmed Suman alias Kalu, 26, was the suspected mugger who, along with his gang members, killed Dr Shah Alam on Friday, said Kazi Tarek Aziz, assistant superintendent of police (ASP) of Rab-7. 

Acting on a tip-off, a patrol team of the elite force raided Uttar Bashbaria area to arrest Kalu and his associates, said Aziz. 

Sensing presence of the elite force members, associates of Kalu opened fire forcing the Rab members to fire back, triggering a “gunfight”, the ASP claimed. 

After the criminals fled the scene, the Rab members found the bullet-hit body of Kalu on the spot, he claimed. 

Two firearms, including a foreign pistol and 27 bullets, were recovered from the spot. 

 On Tuesday, Rab arrested a human hauler driver, Md Omar Faruk, from the port city’s Railway Station area, over the killing.  

After Dr Shah Alam left his Sitakunda clinic around 9:30pm on Thursday for his home in Chattogram city’s Chadgaon residential area, he went missing. 

“A gang of five muggers, including Faruk, took part in the killing, while the physician was returning to Chattogram in the vehicle,” the ASP said quoting Faruk. 

The 61-year old paediatrician, who established the Baby Care Private Limited at Sitakunda’s Chhoto Kumira village after returning to the country two years back, was found dead with multiple injuries beside the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway on Friday. 

The physician had returned to the country after working in a hospital in Saudi Arabia for 30 years. He was the head of  paediatric surgery in Madina Maternity and Children’s Hospital there. 

In a different incident, another alleged robber, Prakash Selim was killed in crossfire while police. The gunfight began when police detained and took him to recover drug and illegal arms after arresting him in the early hours of Tuesday in Chamarkul area of Whykang union in Teknaf Cox’s Bazar. 

Pradip Kumar Das, office-in-charge of Teknaf police station, claimed they were acting on  a tip-off when they arrested Prakash on Monday evening. Later, he was taken to Keruntoli Primary School area to recover arms and drugs as per his confession. 

But his cohorts, who were waiting in the area, opened fire on the police and the law enforcers retaliated, police claimed. 

Selim was hit and taken to Teknaf Upazila Health Complex where duty doctors declared him dead. 

Three policemen, including sub-inspector Arifur Rahman, and constables Shukkur and Mehedi were injured during the incident.  The police recovered a light machine gun , six rounds of bullet and one thousand yaba from the spot. 

Selim was an active member of a local robber group, police alleged.