4 more killed in alleged gunfights

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Four people were killed in what the law enforcement called separate incidents of gunfight in Cox's Bazar, Munshiganj and Khulna in Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

In Cox’s Bazar, two suspected drug traders were killed in a gunfight between two groups of yaba traders in Sabrang Marine Drive Zero Point area of Teknaf around 3:30am, claimed police.

The deceased are Nazir Ahmed, 39, son of a certain Abdur Rahim from Kachuboni, Sabrang and Abdul Amin, 35, son of Amir Hamza from Hnila union in Teknaf.

Being informed of the gunfight over drug shipment between two groups of yaba traders, a team of policemen arrived in the area early Wednesday.

Sensing presence of the law enforcement the drug traders opened fire forcing the police to retaliate. As the criminals retreated two were found bullet-hit, the officer-in-charge of Teknaf model police station, Pradip Kumar Das said.

The injured were rushed to the Upazila Health Complex where the physician declared them dead.

Nineteen cases including that of for human trafficking, yaba trading and robbery were filed against Nazir while Amin was named in six cases, four of which were about drugs.

Upazila Health Complex emergency section's physician Mostafizur Rahman said, the two were dead before arrival in the hospital. Amin was found hit with three bullets while Nazir found with two, he added.

The bodies were sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.

The police claimed to have recovered 10,175 pieces of yaba tablets, four LNGs and nine bullets from the spot. Seven of the police members were also injured in the incident.

OC Pradip Kumar claimed Nazir and Amin were top drug traders.

In Munshiganj, a suspected drug trader, Abul Hossain Sheikh, 47, was killed in an alleged gunfight with Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members in Punder Bazar, Tongibari around 4:00am.

Quoting the deputy commanding officer major Ashik Billal, news agency UNB reports, being tipped off a team of RAB-11 conducted a raid in the area around 1:00am.

Sensing presence of the RAB men, the criminals opened fire on them, forcing the law enforcement to retaliate. Later, they recovered the bullet-hit body of Abul Hossain spot.

The police sources said Abul, son of one Nazim Uddin Sheikh from Punder Bazar, was accused in 18 cases.

The RAB members claimed they had recovered a bullet, a pistol from the spot. The body has been kept at Munshiganj General Hospital morgue.

In Khulna, policemen recovered a bullet-hit body from Balur Math area in Kartikkul in Daulatpur around 10:30pm Tuesday.

The deceased is Mirazul Islam Maruf alias Goru Maruf, 44, son of a certain Abdul Gaffar from Deyara in Digholia, Khulna.

He was accused in five cases including that of the murder of Gazi Abdul Halim, former chairman of the Senhati union.

Hearing the gunshots around 9:30pm, locals informed police. On their arrival, the policemen found a bullet-hit body and recognised it as the national identity card was found thereby, said the Daulatpur police station officer-in-charge Quazi Mostaq Ahmed.

Police sent the body to Khulna Medical College Hospital in the night.

“Maruf was a mercenary. He extorted money from Daulatpur and Khanjahan Ali thana areas. Dispute over the extortion money could lead to the murder,” said Sonali Sen, the Khulna Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner (media).

Police claimed they had recovered foreign arms, yaba tablets and bullets from the spot. Maruf was listed as a 'most wanted' criminal by the Khulna district police.

Prothom Alo, however, could not verify any of the law enforcement’s versions of the incidents independently as no versions of those were available immediately either from any witnesses or from any members of the victims' families.

At least 437 people have fallen victims to extrajudicial killings across the country in 10 months from January this year, according to Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights body in the country.