Alleged gunfights kill 2 more

Prothom Alo Illustration
Prothom Alo Illustration

Two more suspected drug traders were killed in separate incidents of what the law enforcement calls gunfights in Kushtia and Mymensingh early Monday, reports UNB.

In Kushtia, Shahar Ali, 38, son of Monwar Box of Mazampur, and an accused in several drug-related cases, was killed in a reported gunfight with police at Haripur Sheikh Russell Link Road Bridge in the district town around 2:00am.

Tipped off that a gang of drug traders gathered under the bridge, a team of police conducted a drive there, said Atiqur Rahman, a sub-inspector (SI) at Kushtia model police station.

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the 'drug traders' opened fire on them forcing them to fire back in self-defence, the SI added.

After the gunfight, police recovered the bodies of Shahar along with a shooter gun, three bullets and 600 yaba pills from the spot, he claimed.

Five policemen were also injured, said the SI.

In Mymensingh, Noman Khan, 45, an accused in several drug cases, was killed in a reported gunfight with police in Raghunampur area of Sadar upazila around 1:45am.

Two policemen were also injured during the gunfight, said Mahmudul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station.

Prothom Alo, however, could not verify the law enforcement’s version of the incident independently as no version of it was available immediately either from any witness or from any member of the victim’s family.

With the latest deaths, at least 139 people were killed in 'gunfights' with members of law enforcement agencies while 37 bodies of suspected drug traders were recovered after reported gun battles between rival groups during the countrywide anti-narcotic drives since 15 May.