'Gunfights' claim five lives

Five people have been killed in what the law enforcers called separate gunfights with them in Khulna and Habiganj early Tuesday.

Among the five, four were killed in Koira of Sundarbans, Khulna who could not be identified but labelled as robbers by RAB.

The incident was confirmed by additional police superintendent Tofazzal Hossain of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)-6 saying, a team of RAB approached a team of robbers after learning that they were preparing for a robbery.

The police officer said, the robbers did not surrender but fled opening fire through the Sundarbans. The RAB team too opened fire in self defence after which four were found bullet hit on the spot.

The injured were taken to Koira upazila health complex where the physicians declared them dead.

The RAB reportedly recovered arms and bullets from the spot.

In Habiganj, a man named Kudrat Ali, 40, from Dariapur village of Habiganj, was killed in an alleged gunfight between police and robbers at Nadia on Dhaka -Sylhet Highway in Shayestaganj.

Police claimed that Kudrat was the head of a gang of robbers and was named in 13 cases.

Confirming the incident, Mozammel Hossain, officer-in-charge of Shayestaganj police station, said being tipped-off about a robbery preparation a police team led by additional police superintendent Nazrul Islam raided in Nadia. The robbers opened fire forcing the law enforcers to retaliate triggering in the gunfight that left one injured, he said.

As the injured was rushed to Habiganj Adhunik Sadar Hospital, the physicians there declared him dead, he added.

Police claimed to have recovered sharp weapons from the spot.

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