Five killed in 'gunfights'

Five suspected robbers were killed in “gunfights” with law enforcers in Chittagong and Kushtia early yesterday.

Three of them were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with the Rapid Action Battalion in Mirsarai of Chittagong while the two others were killed as they along with a few others engaged in a “gunfight” with police in Mirpur of Kushtia.

The dead, though not identified yet, have been branded as robbers by law enforcers. 

According to the Rab, a microbus carrying members of Rab-7 came under attack by robbers around 2:30am at Nizampur of Mirsarai on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The law enforcers were patrolling the area in plain clothes at the time, reports our Chittagong correspondent quoting Rab officials as saying.

The robbers put up barricades and fired at the vehicle, said Chandan Debnath, assistant director of Rab-7. The Rab personnel retaliated.

Minutes later when the gunfight stopped, three of the attackers were found bullet-hit, Chandan said. The injured were taken to Mirsarai Health Complex where doctors declared them dead.

Miftah Uddin Ahmed, commanding officer of Rab-7, said three foreign pistols and two shooter guns were recovered from the scene along with ornaments, vanity bags and cash.

Two Rab members were also injured when robbers threw an iron pipe targeting the microbus, he said, adding that the injured law enforcers took primary treatment at a local hospital.

The bodies were kept at Mirsarai Police Station. No one claimed the bodies until the filing of the report around 8:00pm, said Sub-inspector Taufiqul Islam. 

In Kushtia, police having been tipped-off conducted a drive at Gobindgunia on the Kushtia-Pabna highway.

A gang of 8-10 men were preparing to commit a robbery around 1:00am, said Kazi Jalal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Mirpur Police Station.

Seeing law enforcers, they opened fire and threw several crude bombs. Police fired back triggering a gunfight, the OC said. 

The incident left two robbers dead on the spot while their associates fled, reports our Kushtia correspondent quoting police.

Police recovered a pistol, two bombs, two swords, one sow and 2 bullets from the scene, police sources said.

The bodies were sent to Kushtia General Hospital for autopsy.

Kamrul Hasan, assistant superintendent of police in Kushtia, said police were trying to find out the identities of the deceased.

OC Jalal and a constable were hurt in the incident, he claimed.

According to rights body Ain O Salish Kendra, as many as 107 people were killed in “crossfire” between January and September this year.