Man killed in ‘gunfight’ with police

A man was killed in an alleged gunfight with police in the capital's Khilgaon area early yesterday, hours after he was arrested from Airport Road area.

The dead, Sohel Hawlader alias Juna, 30, was an accused in 17 cases, including for murder and drug trade, filed with different police stations, police claimed.

His family members, however, alleged that police killed him and cooked up the story of a shootout to cover up the murder.

Mashiure Rahman, officer-in-charge of Khilgaon Police Station, said a police team, in association with Airport Armed Police Battalion, arrested Sohel from the Airport area yesterday evening after he reached Dhaka from Cox's Bazar.

Later, based on his information, police took him to Nagdarpar area in Khilgaon around 3:00am to recover hidden firearms and drugs, the OC said.

Sensing their presence, Sohel's associates opened fire, prompting law enforcers to fire back in "self-defence", the police official said.

At one stage, Sohel fell in the line of fire, while his cohorts managed to flee the scene.

He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead, the OC added.

Police claimed to have recovered a revolver from the spot.

Sohel's elder brother Jamal Hawlader alleged that they went to Khilgaon Police Station on Saturday night hearing that police picked up Sohel who was returning form Cox's Bazar.

Police then told them to go to the court yesterday saying he would be produced before it.

"But they killed my brother," he claimed.

He also alleged that a local drug trader offered his brother to join the drug trade, but Sohel denied working with him. The drug trader may have misguided police to kill him, he alleged. 

Jamal admitted that his brother was accused in a case but said he was on bail. He claimed Sohel used to sell fruits on the footpath in Khilgaon's Sipahibag but recently shifted to Shanir Akhra as police evicted vendors from the footpath.

OC Mashiur refuted the allegation and said Sohel was a drug trader and went to Cox's Bazar bring in drugs to Dhaka. He handed the drugs to someone before his arrest along with another youth named Sagor. Sohel was arrested several times and resumed his criminal activities after getting bail, he said.