2 killed in city ‘gunfight’ with RAB

Two people were killed in what Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) called gunfights with them in Badda and Mirpur of Dhaka early Thursday, reports news agency UNB.

Senior ASP Kamruzzaman of RAB-1 said Maharaz Khalifa, 40, a drug trader from Banani area, was killed in a gunfight with the force in Satarkul area of Badda around 1:15am.

A RAB-1 team raided the area after being tipped off that Khalifa and his associates were there for drug dealings. The criminals opened fire as soon as the RAB team reached the spot, triggering a gunfight, Kamruzzaman said.

Khalifa, wounded in the gunfight, was arrested and taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where physicians pronounced him dead around 3:15am.

Two firearms and 300 yaba pills were recovered from the spot. A member of RAB was injured during the gunfight, the ASP claimed.

The other deceased was identified as Byanga Babu, 38, second-in-command of the notorious ‘Shahadat Bahini’, said major Kazi Saifuddin Ahmed, second-in-command of RAB-4.

Babu was killed in an alleged gunfight with the law enforcement in Beribadh area of Mirpur.

Babu, who had fled to India few years ago, recently returned to Dhaka to take part in a killing mission, said Kazi Saifuddin Ahmed.

Acting on a tip-off, a RAB team went to the spot. Babu was killed in an ensuing gunfight between RAB and the criminals around 3:15am, he said.

The deceased was wanted in 20 cases, including at least seven for murder, said RAB.

A pistol, a magazine and one round of bullet were recovered from the spot.

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

In the first six months of 2019, the number of such killing was at least 200, the rights body said on its website.