At least three policemen including an officer were killed as gunmen fired on them at Daspara in Bera upazila yesterday evening.
The slain cops are Sub-inspector Md Kafil Uddin, Nayek Abdul Wahed and constable Shafique of Dhalarchar police camp.
Jamil Ahmed, superintendent of police in Pabna, said a gang opened fire on the three plainclothes policemen who were returning to their camp.
“We are still trying to know details about the incident,” the SP told The Daily Star over telephone last night.
The motive behind the attack could not be known as of filing this report at 1:00am today.
Police suspect the gunmen are members of an outlawed group.
They launched a combing-operation in the area infested by different outlawed groups from Pabna, Manikganj and Rajbari.
Deputy Inspector General of Rajshahi Range Mokhlesur Rahman and the SP of Pabna visited the spot, some 40 kms off the district headquarters.
In a similar attack in 2001, outlawed party operatives killed a sub-inspector at Dhalarchar. Later, a police camp was set up there.
Operatives of different outlawed groups take shelter at Daspara after committing crimes in the adjoining areas, police said.