Two suspects killed in cop 'shootout'

Two people allegedly involved in the killing of AK Azad, a newly elected Union Parishad chairman, were killed in a “shootout” with police in Joypurhat early yesterday.

The deceased are: Sohel Rana, 25, son Nurul Islam of Sawalpara, and Munir Hossain, 28, son of Lutfar Rahman of Kuchkuri village under Joypurhat Sadar upazila.

The “gunfight”, which took place around 4:00am, also left three law enforcers injured, police claimed.

Mollah Nazrul Islam, superintendent of police of Joypurhat, said on information that criminals had gathered in Gopalpur to attack the house of slain AK Azad, law enforcers raided the village.

Sensing the presence of police, the criminals opened fire on them and also swooped on them with sticks and sharp weapons, he added. The law enforcers retaliated with gunfire, leaving the two dead on the spot, claimed the district police boss.

Police recovered firearms and sharp weapons from the spot. Three policemen including Farid Hossain, officer-in-charge of Joypurhat Police Station, were injured in the shootout, police said.

The bodies were sent to Joypurhat General Hospital for autopsy.

The police said the dead were accused in Azad murder case. They were also accused in several snatching and extortion cases filed with Joypurhat Police Station.

AK Azad along with his aide Nayan Chandra Barman was stabbed and shot on June 4 on his way home. He later died of his injuries at Popular Hospital in the capital on June 12.

Azad contested the UP polls as an independent candidate for the chairman post and was elected on May 28.

On Sunday, police arrested Saikat Hossain, 25, and Abdul Hakim in connection with the killing. The arrestees reportedly gave confessional statements before a magistrate.

With the deaths of Rana and Nurul, 15 people including five suspected militants have been killed in “shootouts” or “gunfights” this month alone, according to reports published by this paper.

Of them, nine people were killed in three consecutive days following the killing of the wife of the superintendent of police of Chittagong on June 5.