A regional leader of an outlawed party and his aide were killed in a “gunfight” with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Goalanda upazila of Rajbari district early today.

The deceased are: Rakibul Hasan Roky alias Bappi, 35, the regional leader of outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party’s (PBCP-ML) Lal Pataka faction, and his aide Lalon Mollah, 40.

Rab recovered one foreign-made pistol and one 22 bore rifle, one shutter gun, one sword and 60 bullets from the spot, reports our Kushtia correspondent.

According to Rab, Rakibul and Lalon, residents of Paban Nagar of Pabna Sadar upazila and Gopalbari of Rajbari Sadar upazila respectively, were involved in organising activities of the outfit in the area.

Acting on a tip-off that Rakibul was holding a meeting with his cohorts at Rakhalgachi char, two Rab teams cordoned off the area around 3:30am and asked the outlaws to surrender using loudspeakers, said Roice Uddin, commander of Rab-8 in Faridpur.

“But defying our call, the outlaws opened fire at us leaving one of the members of the elite force injured,” the Rab official said adding that “Rab retaliated that ensued an hour-long battle with the outlaws.”

At one stage, the outlaws fled the scene. Rab found the bodies of Rakibul and Lalon on the spot, the Rab official said.

Rakibul and his aide were accused in at least seven cases including murder, abduction and robberies, the Rab official said.