Six killed in 'gunfights'

Four suspected robbers were "killed in gunfight" with Rab in Pabna early yesterday while in a separate incident around the same time in the day, in Faridpur, two "robbers" were "found dead" by police in an abandoned brick kiln.

According to Rapid Action Battalion, the four "robbers" died of bullet injuries they sustained during exchange of fires as the Rab confronted and chased a gang of 15 to 20 robbers while the criminals were robbing the rice mill at Joynagar of Ishwardi around 3:00am.

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Two members of Rab -- Deputy Assistant Director Abdul Wadud and Sub-inspector Arafatul Haque -- were also injured during the operation and they received first aid from Pabna General Hospital, said Rab.

Three other suspected robbers, injured during the said gunfight, were undergoing treatment at Pabna Medical College Hospital, reports our Pabna correspondent.

Before succumbing to his injuries, one of the deceased "robbers", aged 30, identified himself as Rustom Ali, Rab said. 

The other three deceased -- Badsha Miah, 32, Shafikul Islam, 35 and Monjurul Islam, 36, from Mymensingh and Chandpur -- were identified by their wounded associates apprehended by the Rab.

Following the gunbattle, the Rab recovered a pistol, two revolvers, one magazine, six bullets, several sharp weapons, 338 bags of rice and two trucks that the robbers were using for carrying their loot, said Rab.

Teams of Rab from Pabna and Tangail arrived at Badsha Rice Mill at Joynagar area on information of the robbery in progress around 3:00am when nearly 15 to 20 inter-district robbers were loading bags of rice onto the trucks they brought with them, said Bina Rani Das, commander of Rab-12 Pabna camp.

“The robbers opened fire as we chased them. We also returned fire for self defence, triggering a half an hour-long gunfight,” Bina told The Daily Star, adding that three of the robbers died on the spot.

Another gunfight ensued as the Rab chased and caught up with the rest of the fleeing criminals at Boroichora, around a kilometre away from Joynagar. Four "robbers" including Rustom sustained bullet wounds during the incident, she said.

Commanding Officer Shahabuddin Khan of Rab-12 said the inter-district gang of robbers had looted rice from Tangail and Jhenidah over the last couple of days.

The Rab carried out the operation at Joynagar based on prior information and they were working on to arrest the robbers who escaped arrest, he added.

The owner of Badsha Rice Mill, Alamgir Hossain Badsha, said the robbers tied up the security guard after entering the mill at night and then they started loading the rice until the Rab arrived.

Aminul Islam Rinku, a local, said they assumed it was a drive by law enforcers as they heard gunshots at night, but they did not dare to go out to find out what was going on.

In Faridpur, two people were found shot dead at an abandoned brick kiln at Sokirkandi area of Modhukhali upazila early yesterday, reports a correspondent.

Police said the two were suspected robbers and were killed during "their internal fight".

Locals, however, could not ascertain whether it was an internal fight between members of any gang of robbers as they found out about the incident only after police took them to the crime scene. 

The deceased were identified as Ohidul Joadder, 29, of Modhukhali upazila, and Kashem Sheikh, 40, of Baliakandi upazila of Rajbari.

Rajak Sheikh and Majed Sheikh, residents of Sokirkandi, said they came out of their houses, around 100 yards away from the spot, after hearing gunshots fired around 3:00am when they saw many policemen around their houses.

The policemen then asked them to go with them to the brick kiln where the two men were seen lying on the ground, they added.

Ruhul Amin, officer-in-charge of Modhukhali Police Station, said police found the two individuals with serious bullet wounds in the kiln and sent them to Faridpur Medical College Hospital where doctors declared them dead. “We think the killings are the result of an internal feud of a gang of robbers.”

They heard of the gunshot incident from on duty highway police personnel, he said, adding that police recovered a Chinese pistol and two bullets from the crime scene.

The two have a total of twelve cases filed against them with different police stations, the OC said.

Ashish Kumar Saha, medical officer at Faridpur Medical College Hospital, said, the two persons brought to the hospital around 5:10am by the police were already dead.