Five policemen were injured as the vehicle carrying them plunged into a roadside ditch after being fired upon at Ghatura in Brahmanbaria on Tuesday night.

The injured were Abdul Awal Bhuiyan, a sub-inspector of Sadar Police Station, and constables Abul Bashar, Mithun Chandra Nath, Sahidul Islam and Ariful Islam.

On information that a group of smugglers would transport a consignment of contraband items in a private car through the area, a police team set up a checkpost on Comilla-Sylhet highway at Ghatura around 11:30pm, said the local police.

As the policemen signalled a red private car to pull over, it sped away ignoring the signal. The cops chased the car in a pickup truck. At one point, the criminals opened fire on the police van.

The vehicle then veered off the road and fell into the ditch as its driver lost control over the steering.

The injured were taken to Sadar Hospital.

Three youths have been detained in connection with the incident.

Superintendent of Brahmanbaria Police Mizanur Rahman said police and Rapid

Action Battalion have launched a joint drive to arrest the criminals.