Banani Murder: Two suspects shot dead

Two people, earlier identified by police as suspects in the murder of Banani manpower businessman, were killed in a “shootout” between detectives and their cohorts in the capital's Badda early yesterday.

However, families of the deceased -- Al Amin, 34, and Saddam, 25 -- alleged that they were picked by some people, who claimed themselves to be detectives, several days ago. 

Shaikh Nazmul Alam, deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch (north) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said the "gunfight" took place around 4:00am when a team of detectives went to Aftabnagar to arrest suspected killers of the businessman.

As soon as the DB men reached there, the criminals opened fire. The law enforcers fired retaliatory shots, triggering the "gunfight". Two of the criminals were hit by bullets.

Doctors declared them dead after they were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, he said.

The police official claimed that Al Amin and Saddam were involved in the killing of Siddik Hossen Munshi in his Banani office on November 14.

CCTV footage showed that four people entered the office of Munshi Overseas; shot dead Siddik and injured his three staffers, police earlier said.

The "shootout" happened two days after police named Al Amin and Saddam as murder suspects at a press conference, which was held to brief journalists on the arrest of another suspect Helal Uddin, who allegedly coordinated the murder.  

Police also claimed that Helal and at least five others took part in the killing on the instruction of a former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader, who fled the country two years ago and is now leaving in Sweden.

Family of Saddam alleged that some people, identifying themselves as detectives, picked up Saddam, a resident of city's Rampura, from his father-in-law's house in Comilla on November 26.

Al Amin's family alleged that law enforcers picked him up from Tongi on December 2.

Both the families claimed that the two were innocent.

According to the families, Al Amin used to sell toys, while Saddam used to sell mosquito coils and candles.

Al Amin's wife Khadiza Begum told The Daily Star that his husband used to stay in the capital's Abdullahpur.

“Had he killed anyone, he would not have stayed at home,” she said.

Ruma, an aunty of Saddam, said they went to the DB office on Minto Road in search of her nephew on information that he was picked up by detectives. But police denied picking him up.

“If he was not picked up by police, then who did it?" she said.