Robber killed in Cumilla gunfight

A suspected robber was killed in a reported gunfight with police in Chandina upazila of Cumilla early today.

Deceased Md Khokon (45) was a member of a highway robbery gang and an accused in a case filed in the killing of Cumilla's Muradnagar upazila unit Jubo League convener Khairul Alam Sadhan in January, said police.

Porimol Das, sub-inspector of Detective Branch (DB) of police in Cumilla, said a joint team of DB police and Chandina Police Station launched a drive in Chhoygharia Sakin area on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway around 1:30am after receiving information that a group of robbers was taking preparation for a robbery attempt there.

Sensing the presence of the police team, the robbers' gang opened fire on the law enforcers, forcing them to fire back, he said.

At one stage, Khokon was caught in the line of fire and suffered injuries while the other robbers managed to flee the scene.

He was taken to Cumilla Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, said SI Porimol.

Two policemen were also injured in the gun battle, our Cumilla correspondent reports quoting the police official.

Police recovered a homemade pipe gun, two cartridges, three machetes, a knife and some bullet shells from the spot, said Ekhtiar Uddin, inspector of DB police in Cumilla.