'Picked-up' boy killed in 'shootout'

An undated photo of Rakib, released by police.

A teenage boy was killed in a “gunfight” with police in the capital's Wari early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Rakib Halwader, son of Mohsin Halwader, a resident of Wari's Kaptan Bazar. He was only 15, according to his birth certificate.

Police said the boy could be aged between 18 and 20 and was a suspect in at least three cases -- one for mugging and two for murder. According to officials, he was the prime suspect in Daffodil University student Talha murder case.

The family, however, said the boy was accused only in a mugging case but that was result of “misunderstanding”.  

“He was a spoiled boy but was not involved in any major crime,” said His mother Rita Akter.

The family alleged that Rakib was picked up by Sub-Inspector Jyotish Chandra of Wari Police Station around 10:30pm on Wednesday as he went out to buy daily essentials for his mother.

“The next day, I went to the police station around 11:00am to meet my son. I saw him in the OC's room,” Rita Akter told reporters at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Rakib's body was kept at the college morgue. 

She said she waited at the police station for hours but was barred from meeting him. “I heard a shout 'Ma…Ma…” she said, adding that she then saw his son in handcuffs being taken to the OC's room.

Rita said she bought a packet of biriyani from a shop for her son, but it was not allowed. She waited till 4:30pm but could not talk to her son.

Sub-Inspector Jyotish Chandra could not be reached for comments despite several attempts.

Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Wari Police Station, refuted all the allegations raised by the family and claimed the deceased was unidentified until he was declared dead by the doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital yesterday morning.

“After the body was identified, we came to know that he [Rakib] was the boy who stabbed Talha on October 8 last year,” the OC said.

Police came to know about Rakib from two other suspects, Abdur Rahman alias Milon, 20, and Bellal Hossain Sabuj, 19, who were arrested from Wari area 10 days after the killing took place, the OC added.

“Rakib became a charge-sheeted accused in a mugging case under a speedy tribunal after police arrested him red-handed on October 10, just two days after the killing of Talha.”

The OC claimed they conducted a raid near Joy Kali temple around 3:00am yesterday, on information that some muggers were taking preparation to commit robbery.

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the gang opened fire forcing them to retaliate, triggering a “gunfight”.

After that, the “bullet-hit” body of an unidentified person was found there. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Police said they arrested two of Rakib's accomplices -- Jakir Hossain, 20, and Shahed, 18 -- from the spot.

“The trio was also involved in murdering Muktar Hossain who was found dead in Wari area on April 2,” the OC said.

The family learnt about it yesterday afternoon.

Rakib's grandfather Abdul Latif, president of Kaptan Bazar Awami League, said a relative, who is also a leader of the AL unit, told him that “a boy named Rakib of our area has been killed in an encounter” and asked if he knew anything about him.

Latif them informed Rakib's parents about it.

According to the police inquest report, the deceased was unidentified and aged around 22 years.

“There were holes stained with blood on the left side of his chest and shoulder,” mentioned the report, adding that there was blood on his neck, chest and shoulder.

Rakib was born on February 1 in 2003, according to the birth certificate issued on January 17 last year. The Daily Star collected a copy of it from the family.

The boy studied till class II, said his mother.

He acted as a child actor in a cinema titled Bhalo Amake Bashtei Hobe, produced by his father in 2015, according to the family. 

Rakib was arrested in a mugging case two months ago and kept in jail for 22 days, Rita said. “It was a false case,” she claimed, adding that the plaintiff later got him free.

Following the “gunfight”, Wari police filed two separate cases.