Alleged gunfight kills 2 in Sundarbans

Two men were killed in a reported gunfight with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Kalagachhia Khal of Sundarbans' Satkhira range in Shyamnagar upazila of Satkhira early Thursday, reports UNB.

The deceased were members of a robber gang, claimed the law enforcement agency.

The deceased are Saheb Ali, 35, chief of Saheb Ali Bahini and his second-in-command Habibur Rahman, 28, the RAB said.

Acting on secret information, the RAB team conducted the drive in the area, said lieutenant colonel Jahidul Kabir, commander of RAB-6.

Sensing the presence of the force, the robber gang opened fire on them, forcing the them to fire back, triggering the gunfight.

After an-hour-long gunfight, the team arrested two robbers with bullet injuries and recovered three arms and 32-round bullets from the spot.

The injured were taken to Shyamnagar Upazila Complex where physicians declared them dead.

Two constables -- Arif and Shakil -- were injured in the gunfight, Jahidul added.

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

According to the human rights group, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a total of 421 people were killed in alleged gunfights, crossfires or shootouts with the law enforcement agencies in 2018.

In January 2019, the number of such killing was 23, the rights body said on its website.