2 'muggers' killed in city 'gunfight'

Two alleged muggers were killed in a “gunfight” with the members of Detective Branch (DB) of police in Motijheel area of the capital early today.

One of the deceased was identified as Ramjan Ali, 40, of Rayerbag in the capital while identity of another dead could not be known immediately.

UNB reports, a DB team challenged two motorbikes near Motijheel Ideal School and College around 2:00 am.

Sensing danger, the bikers opened fire targeting the detectives, who retaliated with bullets triggering a gunfight.

The two criminals were found seriously wounded after the gun battle, the news agency said quoting DB deputy commissioner (public relations) Masudur Rahman.

Doctors declared them dead when they were taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, Md Mozammel Haque, in-charge of DMCH police camp told The Daily Star.

Talking to our reporter over phone, Ramjan’s sister Rubina Begum said her brother went out of his house for a nearby mosque around 7:00pm.

They found the victim’s cell phone switched off since 8:30pm yesterday, she said. 

“We came to know about his death from a television news this morning,” she said. 

Rubina denied Ramjan’s involvement with any criminal activities and said “We suspect that the law enforcers gunned down my brother following a conspiracy with any of his rivals.”

Ramjan, who was a furniture shop owner in the capital’s Jatrabari area, was a leader of bus workers’ union in Kanchpur and Sonagaon areas one year back, the sister said.