'Robber' killled in 'gunfight' with Rab

An alleged robber was killed in a "gunfight" with Rapid Action Battalion in Pologround area of Chittagong city early yesterday. 

According to a Rab-7 press release yesterday, deceased Abul Kalam alias Lengra Kalam was a listed robber in Feni and stood accused in several cases, including murder and robbery.

A team of Rab-7 raided Pologround area around 3:00am, acting on a tip-off that some arms dealers were trading firearms there, said Mimtanur Rahman, assistant director of Rab-7.

He said when the Rab team reached the spot, the criminals opened fire. The Rab members then returned fire, triggering the "gunfight".

After the gun battle, the Rab team found a bullet-hit man and took him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The Rab team then came to know the identity of the deceased, said the Rab official.

Rab also claimed to have recovered an AK-22 submachine gun (SMG), a foreign pistol, 15 bullets and cartridges from the spot.

Victim's family, however, said Kalam went outside his rented house in Baizid area on Tuesday morning, saying he was going to work. But he did not return home at night.

Talking to this correspondent at Chittagong Medical College morgue, Md Ripon, elder brother of Kalam's wife, said, "In the morning, we came to know about his [Kalam] death from TV news. Family members of Kalam asked me to see whether Kalam was alright. I came to the hospital and identified his body."

"My sister's husband [Kalam] used to catch fish and look after their cattle in his village in Feni. He came here [Chittagong city] around six months ago. He used to work as a daily labourer. On Tuesday morning, he told my sister that he was going to work in a vehicle as a helper," Ripon said.

But the claim of exchanging fire between Kalam and Rab was not true as he had no firearm, he added.

Md Toyob, a pickup driver who brought the body to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, said when he was waiting for a trip near pologround, the Rab members told him to take the body to the hospital.

Rab-7 also claimed that their two members were injuried during the "gunfight" and they took first aid.