Alleged RAB gunfights kill 2

An unidentified man and a suspected criminal were killed in separate reported gunfights with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members in Rajshahi and Munshiganj districts early Sunday.

In Rajshahi, an unidentified man was killed in an alleged gunfight with RAB members in Nabadanga area of the city around 12:30am, reports UNB.

Spotting a torch beam in a banana orchard in the area a patrol team of the force went there, RAB-5 deputy commanding officer major AM Ashraful Islam said.

When the team reached there, a gang of criminals opened fire on them, forcing the RAB men to fire back, triggering the gunfight which left the unidentified man bullet injured, he said.

He was rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, Ashraful said.

The elite force recovered a magazine, two rounds of bullet, a pistol and 38 bottles of phensedyl.

In Munshiganj, Md Sohrab Hossain, son of Yunus Bepari of Rudrapara village in Srinagar upazila, was killed in a reported gunfight with RAB members.

Being informed that a gang of criminals was staying in the area, a team of the law enforcement conducted a drive in Chhatrobhog area around 4:30am, said RAB-11 company commander assistant superintendent Mohitul Islam.

Sensing the presence of force, the gang members opened fire on them, prompting them to fire back, triggering the gunfight that left Sohrab dead on the spot, he said.

Two RAB members were also injured in the gunfight, Mohitul added.

The force recovered a foreign pistol, a bullet, 600 yaba tablets and Tk 10,500 from the scene, he said.

Sohrab Hossain was wanted in 13 cases including murder, arms, robbery and abduction, said the RAB official.

The law enforcement’s versions of the events, however, could not be verified independently as no versions of the incidents were available immediately either from any witness or from the victims’ families.