An alleged mugger was killed while another bullet injured in “shootouts” with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in the city's Bangshal and Keraniganj yesterday.
The deceased identified as Shamsul Islam Tipu, 21, was a resident of Bagdasha Lane of Bangshal while injured Mohammad Sohel, 28, of Kotubpara of Keraniganj.
In Bangshal, a team of plainclothes Rab personnel in the guise of rickshaw passengers was patrolling around 4:30am when three youths waylaid a rickshaw carrying two of the Rab members near Armanitola, said Officer-in-Charge Jamiruddin Ahmed of Bangshal Police Station quoting an official of the Rab-10 team.
The OC said that as the youths wielding firearms tried to snatch the belongings of the Rab men, they fired shots in which one of the muggers sustained bullet injuries.
Hearing gunshots locals rushed to the spot and identified the injured as Tipu, a known criminal in the area.
Tipu's accomplices, however, managed to flee the scene. One pistol and three bullets were recovered from the spot.
Rab personnel took Tipu to Mitford Hospital where doctors declared him dead.
Tipu's brother Bulbul told The Daily Star that some law enforcers in plain clothes arrested Tipu from Mirhajirbagh of Jatrabari on November 14. A general diary was filed with Jatrabari Police Station in this connection.
He also said Tipu was an office bearer of Ward-68 BNP.
Rab-10 in a press release claimed that Tipu was accused in six cases including those for murder with Kotwali and Bangshal police stations.
Meanwhile, another Rab team in plain clothes was intercepted by a gang of muggers while they were patrolling Keraniganj area around 12:00midnight, Rab sources said.
The muggers tried to rob the Rab personnel at knife-point, which prompted the law enforcers to shoot them. The firing left one of the muggers bullet hit in the leg while the other gang members escaped.
The Rab team caught injured Sohel and handed him over to Keraniganj police, said Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Abul Basher of South Keraniganj Police Station. A case was filed in this connection.
One knife, two cellphones and Tk 530 were also recovered from the spot.
The OC said Sohel was a fugitive criminal but could not mention the case in which he was accused.