‘Robber’ killed in Khilgaon ‘gunfight’
An alleged robber was killed in a “shootout” between police and his cohorts in Dhaka’s Khilgaon area early today.
Billal Hossain Selim, 45, son of late Syed Ali of Tangail, was killed hours after police picked him up in the capital’s Demra area.
A leader of an inter-district robber gang, Billal was accused in at least 10 cases, mostly for robbery, police claimed.
Anwar Hossain, deputy commissioner of (Motijheel Division) Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said a team of Khilgaon police along with Billal started a drive in Mostafa Majhir area to arrest his cohorts and recover firearms around 2:00am.
Soon after reaching there, an armed gang started firing at police in an attempt to snatch Billal. Police also fired back triggering a “gunfight” that left Billal injured.
He was declared dead after police rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the DC said at a press conference at his office in Paltan.
Three police men were slightly injured during the “gunfight”.
Police claimed to have recovered a firearm and five bullets from the spot after Billal’s cohorts fled away.
According to police, Billal was once a car lifter but later formed the robber gang. He along with his accomplices robbed a house in Nagdar para in Khilgaon in October this year.
Some of the accused arrested in the case, in their confessional statement before courts, said that Billal led the robbery, police said.
Based on their statement police arrested Billal last evening, it said.
According to Rights body Ain o Salish Kendra, law enforcers have given similar accounts of events leading to the deaths of around 800 suspects in custody since 2004.
Around 1,900 people had been shot dead during the period in what law enforcers claimed were the incidents of crossfire, shootout or gunfights, the rights organisation added.
“Gunfight takes place suddenly”
Shiblee Noman, additional deputy commissioner, who was present at the briefing, claimed that police had no idea that such incident would take place.
The incident took place suddenly, he said.
Asked about security measures taken for Billal during the raid, the DC said, “We usually take security measures and will be more careful in future.”
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