A suspected drug peddler was killed in a “gunfight” with Rab officials in Gazipur’s Sreepur upazila yesterday.

The dead is 34-year-old Ashraful Islam.

Muhammed Mohiuddin Faruqe, superintendent of Rab-2, said they set up a check-post on Dhaka-Tangail highway in Kaliakoir upazila on information that a consignment of drugs was scheduled to pass by from Dhaka to Chuadanga.

In the noon, a car tried to escape the check-post. Following the car, Rab officials reached an isolated area. At one point, the car got into a roadside Tamarisk bush. Finding no way out, Ashraful, who was driving the car, pointed a gun at the Rab officials, the superintendent claimed.

In self defence, the Rab official shot a gunfire that injured Ashraful. In response, Ashraful fired back, forcing the Rab officials to retaliate with more gunshots. The man died on the spot, the Rab official further claimed.

Rab handed over the body to police, said said Akter Hossain, inspector (operation) of Sreepur Police Station, adding it was sent to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Rab also claimed to have recovered a private car, a revolver, four bullets and 100 bottles of phensedyl from the spot.

The Daily Star, however, could not independently verify Rab’s claims.