Sohel Murder Case: 2 suspects killed in ‘gunfight’

Two murder case accused were killed in a "gunfight" with police in Cumilla city early yesterday.

The dead are Mohammad Sabbir Hossain, 28, and Sajon, 32, both accused in a case filed over the murder of then councillor Syed Mohammad Sohel.

Anwarul Azim, officer-in-charge of Cumilla Kotwali Police Station, said 11 people, including the duo, were named in the case documents.

Sabbir and Sujon had been on the run ever since the slain councillor's brother filed the case, he added.

On information, police conducted a raid in Cumilla city's Shangraish and Nabagram areas around 12:15am, he further added.

Kamal Krishna Das, inspector (investigation) of the police station, claimed, "A group of criminals opened fire on police as they reached Shangraish Beribadh area around 12:45am, forcing the policemen to retaliate.

"Once the firing stopped, police found two bullet-hit bodies on the spot. The law enforcers also recovered guns and ammunition from the spot."

Three policemen were injured during the "gunfight" and received treatment at a hospital, he further said.

The bodies were sent to Cumilla Medical College Hospital for autopsies.

Meanwhile, Sajon's father Kakon Mia claimed that his son was detained by police before he was killed in the "gunfight".

He said, "If any accused in any case is detained by police, the accused should be sent to jail, but police killed my son in the name of crossfire."

Besides, the house of another accused Sabbir was vandalised allegedly by the followers of the slain councillor.

This correspondent found the house empty while visiting yesterday.

Sabbir along with his brother Samad and his wife used to live in the house for the last three years. All of them, however, went into hiding after the councillor murder, said locals.

On November 22, Syed Mohammad Sohel, 48, councillor of ward-17 of Cumilla City Corporation, and his close aide Haripada Das, 45, were shot dead by masked gunmen at the councillor's office in the city's Pathuriapara area.

The slain councillor's younger brother Syed Mohammad Roman filed the murder case with Kotwali Police Station on November 24. Eleven named persons and some eight to ten persons were made accused in the case.

A total of six persons have so far been arrested in this case.