Six killed in ‘gunfights’ with Rab, BGB
Four of them ‘robbers’
Six people -- four suspected robbers and two alleged drug dealers -- were killed in “gunfights” with Rab and BGB in Bagerhat and Cumilla early yesterday.
In Bagerhat, four alleged robbers, including the supposed ringleader of a robber gang, were killed in a “shootout” with members of Rapid Action Battalion at Jongrakhal in the Sundarbans in Mongla upazila.
The dead were Hasan, 40, Mustain, 37, Mainul, 35, and Haider, 44. Hasan is the ringleader of infamous “Hasan Bahini”.
Acting on a tip-off, a Rab team raided the Sundarbans area under Chandpai range at night, said Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab’s legal and media wing director.
Sensing the Rab members’ presence, the criminals opened fire. The law enforcers retaliated, triggering the “gunfight”. Four “robbers”, including Hasan, were hit. They died on the spot, said a press release of Rab-8.
The four were identified as members of a gang accused of poaching in one of the largest habitats of the endangered Bengal tigers and Irrawaddy dolphins, local Rab official Tajul Islam told AFP.
“These gangs have become a major threat to wildlife conservation [in the mangroves],” the Rab official said.
Rab claimed to have recovered 11 firearms and several sharp weapons from the scene.
In Cumilla, two suspected drug dealers were killed in a similar incident with BGB members at Noapara of Chauddagram upazila.
They were Md Selim alias Salimullah, 38 and Rubel, 30.
On information, a team of Border Guard Bangladesh conducted a drive in Noapara around 1:00am, said a press release issued by Lt Col Abu Mohammad Mohiuddin, commanding officer of BGB-10 Battalion.
Sensing the BGB men’s presence, the criminals opened fire. The BGB members returned fire, triggering the “gun battle”.
The “drug dealers” were hit and they were taken to a local hospital where doctors declared them dead, the release added.
In another incident, two alleged drug peddlers sustained bullet injures in a “shootout” with BGB members at Cumilla Sadar (south) upazila around 10:30pm yesterday, the release said.
The injured -- Bokul, 43, of Narayanganj, and Abdul Karim, 37, of Kurigram -- were admitted to Cumilla Medical College Hospital.
BGB claimed to have recovered 5,850 yaba tablets from the two spots.
(Our correspondents in Bagerhat and Cumilla contributed to this report.)