Staff Reporter :
At least six persons were reportedly killed in separate ‘gunfights’ with law enforcers in Barishal, Feni, Mymensingh, Jashore, Dinajpur and Tangail districts early Sunday.
Police claimed four of the deceased were drug traders while one robber and another mugger.
Following the latest ‘killings’ in alleged gunfights with the law enforcers mainly Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the death toll in such extrajudicial killing rose 18 since May 4.
Most of the victims were accused in cases of involvement of drug trading and smuggling, law enforcers said.
In Barishal, a team of Detective Branch (DB) of police conducted a drive at Bottola Bazar in Dakhshin Char Aicha village under Sadar upazila around midnight when a gang of robbers was taking preparation to commit robbery in the area. As son as law enforcers reached the spot, the gang members opened fire on them, prompting them to fire back that triggered a gunfight, Police said.
At one stage, the robber gang fled the scene. Later, the law enforcers recovered the body from the spot, said Nurul Islam, Officer in-Charge of Kaunia Police Station.
Police also recovered a pipe gun, two sharp weapons and eight bullets from the spot, the OC added.
Besides, SI Rafiq and two constables Rafiq and Hafiz were injured during the ‘gunfight’.
In Feni, a suspected drug and arms trader was killed in a gunfight with police in Pathan Nagar of Chhagalnaiya upazila.
The deceased was identified as Alamgir Hossain Bhuiyan, son of late Abdus Salam Bhuiyan of Paschim Pathan Gor area.
Alamgir was accused in nine cases including drugs and arms filed with Chhagalnaiya Police Station, said officer-in-Charge M Morshed.
Police recovered one pistol, three round cartridges, 1000 pieces of Yaba tablets and 100 bottles of Phensidyl from the house, he said.
In Mymensingh, a suspected drug trader was killed in a gunfight with police at Gonshar intersection in the town around 2:30 am. The deceased was identified as Rajiul Hasan Biplob, 45, son of late Billal Hossain, and was accused in several cases, said Ashikur Rahman, OC of district DB of police.
In Jashore, acting on secret information that two gangs of drug traders are locked in gunfight at Rudrapur village on Chhutipaur road, a team of Kotwali Model Police raided the area. Sensing presence of law enforcers, the gangs opened fire on them prompting police to fire back. Later, police recovered an unidentified body, aged around 35, from the scene while the others managed to flee, said Kotwali police OC KM Azmal Huda.
In Dinajpur, suspected drug trader ‘Galkata Babu’ was killed in an armed encounter with police in Tegora area under Birol upazila.
Birol police OC Abdul Majid said ‘Galkata Babu’ had long been active in phensidyl and Yaba trading. Some 400 Yaba pills, one shooter gun and a bullet were recovered from the spot he added.
In Tangail, an unidentified mugger was killed in a ‘gunfight’ with police near Pushtokamari Dakshinpara Bridge in Mirzapur upazila.
In Tangail, a 22-year-old drug dealer named Emon was killed in gunfight with the police
Mirzapur Police Station OC AKM Mizanul Haque said: “The deceased is known as a drug dealer and pick-pocket in the local area. We recovered his body from the scene after the gunfight. The body was sent to Tangail General Hospital morgue.”
On May 3, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the Rapid Action Battalion to continue its drives against the menace of drug abuse.
