The elite force tells of ‘gunfight’ with suspected muggers in city’s Uttara
Five youths were killed in Rapid Action Battalion firing on Sonargaon Janapath in Uttara in the capital last night.
Rab claimed that the dead were muggers and they were killed during two firefights between Rab personnel and a criminal gang. The “gunfights” took place between 8:30pm and 8:45pm.
One of the dead was identified as Mohammad Hasan of Arichpur in Tongi. Identities of the other four could not be known. The dead were between 20 and 28 years old.
Rab also detained two of the alleged gang members who were unhurt. They are Saidul Islam, 22, and Mohammad Imran, 16.
Different versions of the incident surfaced when The Daily Star correspondents visited the spot after the shooting. The Daily Star could not verify any of them independently.
RAB’S SAY
“Five of the criminals were shot dead during separate gunfights at two spots near Mascot Plaza,” said Rab Legal and Media Wing Director M Sohail, adding that the gunfights took place within a span of 10 minutes.
Talking to journalists at a briefing at Rab-1 headquarters around 12:30am today, he said they recovered two revolvers, two pistols, a home-made gun, five bullets, a machete and a car from the spots.
Sohail said two Rab teams, one in uniform and another in plainclothes, were deployed in the area following a tip-off that muggers were preparing to rob people of their valuable near Mascot Plaza shopping arcade.
The teams challenged two youths in front of a tea stall near a park on Sonargaon Janapath. The two youths opened fire on the Rab personnel prompting them to retaliate which left the two dead on the spot around 8:30pm.
Around 10 minutes later, a car went to the spot with five people. “Our members signalled the car to stop, but it ignored and opened fire on the Rab personnel in a bid to escape,” Sohail said.
Rab retaliated again and three in the car were killed, he claimed.
No Rab personnel were hurt in the incident.
WHAT WITNESSES SAY
Delwar Hossain Kazi, owner of a tea stall, said four to five youths came to the stall around 8:30pm and wanted some tea. “As they were having their tea with cakes, I saw a few more people arrive and they started frisking the ones having tea. They identified themselves as Rab personnel.
“Soon afterwards I heard gunshots from the park behind my stall. Even though it was only a few yards away I could not see anything as the spot had very little light and Rab did not allow me to go out of my tea stall.”
Delwar said around five minutes later, a car stopped near my stall and I heard more gunshots.
Another witness, on condition of anonymity, said a number of people went to the tea stall and challenged a youth claiming they were Rab personnel in plainclothes.
He said at that time he saw a man, who appeared to be with the youth, talking on his mobile phone and minutes later a vehicle stopped near the stall. The people in the vehicle then fired a shot in the air.
The Rab personnel then turned towards the vehicle and fired several shots into the vehicle. The witness said it seemed like the three youths died in the car while two others were unhurt.
“Then Rab personnel forced one of the unhurt youths to make a phone call and some time later two more youths reached the spot and then I heard more gun shots,” the witness added.
A security guard, who was around 50 yards away, said he heard around 20 to 25 gunshots.
“Later I saw Rab personnel chasing and capturing two people. The two were taken across the street. Within a couple of minutes, I heard more gunshots, but I did not see anyone,” he said, wishing not to be named.
Witnesses said soon after first shot was fired, pedestrians and locals ran away in panic. After the firefight, movement of people and vehicles was little and the law enforcers cordoned off the spots.
The car in question was riddled with bullet holes in the front, back and the left. All the windows were rolled up and right rear tyre was flat.
DETAINEE’S SAY
One of the detained youths named Saidul told The Daily Star that Hasan, who died in the incident, called him over mobile phone and asked him to stay in front of the Mascot Plaza.
After some time, Hasan with two others, unknown to him, came in car, he said, adding that Hasan then asked him to get in. He got in the back where two others were also sitting. They drove away. After a while Hasan received two phone calls and the car headed towards Sonargaon Janapath.
In Rab custody, Saidul said, “After we have been on Sonargaon Janapath for a couple of minutes, Rab personnel asked us to stop.
“The driver slowed the car down but Hasan who was sitting in the passenger seat opened fire,” he said, adding that then the firefight began.
Saidul of Uttara said he worked as the conductor of a bus and mugged people occasionally. He said Hasan too used to mug people.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
