Criminal killed in 'shootout'

An alleged criminal was killed in a “shootout” with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Tejgaon Industrial Area in the capital early yesterday.
The deceased, Shahidul Islam Chanchal, also known as Bhagne Chanchal, 35, was a nephew of Sweden Aslam, a top criminal who is now in jail serving life sentence.
Chanchal was killed in a gunfight with Rab in front of BSTI (Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution) office in the area around 1:30am, Md Jahangir, sub-inspector (SI) of Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station told The Daily Star.
A top official of Rab-2 said Chanchal used to extort businessmen in Karwan Bazar and Farmgate areas using Sweden Aslam's name. Local sources said Chanchal and Sweden Aslam's brother used to control the gang of Sweden Aslam since he landed in jail in 1998.
Chanchal's family members, however, claimed he was a trader at Purba Tejturi Bazar in Farmgate area.
“He is the owner of Janata Builders, and also a first class contractor,” Manager of Janata Builders Md Mintu said.
“A group of plainclothes men, who introduced themselves as law enforcers, came at his [Chanchal's] Dhanmondi residence at around 12:30am and took him away in a microbus.
“In the morning we learned that he is dead,” Mintu said.
Rab-2 officials said one of their patrol teams signalled the car Chanchal was riding, but he did not stop and went into the side lane instead.
The team then followed the car and at one stage cordoned it. Chanchal fired twice at the Rab personnel prompting them to fire back. Later they recovered the bullet-hit body of Chanchal, Rab officials said.
Rab men also recovered a foreign pistol loaded with four bullets.
Dhaka Medical College morgue sources said they have found eight bullet wounds to Chanchal's body.
Omar Faruk, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station told The Daily Star that they recovered the car Chanchal was riding with marks of bullets from the spot.