College student shot dead in Noakhali

Unidentified criminals shot dead a college student and injured three others in Batogram village in the district's Sonaimuri upazila early yesterday.

The dead, Asif Uddin Shanto, 23, son of Sahab Uddin Master, was a second-year student of Mathematics department at Noakhali Government College.

Quoting the deceased's family, Kazi Haniful Islam, officer-in-charge of Sonaimuri Police Station, said a couple of days ago, Asif's younger brother Shaon was locked in an altercation with two locals -- Shahed and Shanto -- over snatching his mobile phone set. 

Following this, some 10-12 criminals entered the house of Asif around 2:00am and took the family hostage at gunpoint.

Hearing Asif and his other family members' screams, locals surrounded the house. The criminals then opened fire on Asif, killing him on the spot.

While the criminals were fleeing, they also fired on the locals. Monir Hossain, Mohammad Mohan and Mohammad Belal were hit by bullets. 

The deceased's family alleged that Shahed and Shanto were involved in the attack.

However, this correspondent could not contact Shahed or Shanto for comments as they went into hiding.

The injured were admitted to Noakhali Medical College Hospital. As their condition deteriorated, they were shifted to a private clinic for better treatment.