 Three alleged criminals were killed in a gunfight with members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) at Meradia in the city's Khilgaon area early yesterday.
| They call it gunfight but the deaders knew it as a crossfire ... |
| For our new readers, a 'encounter' is when the RAB shoots perps on site. A 'crossfire' is when they bring them in for a relaxing conversation (normally involving pliers) before taking them on a moonlight drive. Then shooting them trying to 'escape'. |
The dead were identified as Sohel alias 'Bhombal' Sohel, 35, of East Goran, Monir Hossain alias 'Baka' Babu, 22, of East Rampura, and Sukkur Ali, 30, of South Goran.
| None of them belong to JI, so they're toast ... |
Rab-3 officials said one of their patrol teams chased the three following their suspicious movements when they were passing through Balurmath near Meradia Bazar by a private car at around 1:45am.
| Just about the right hour in a neighborhood you couldn't find with a Garmin ... |
Sensing danger, ...
| 'Hark! My spider-sense it tingling! Cheez, it's the RAB!' |
... the criminals fired several rounds of bullet on the law enforcers, ...
| ... more aimless fire which is all the bad guys can ever do ... |
... forcing them to retaliate.
Rab sources said Sohel, Babu and Sukkur received bullets during the gunfight and died instantly ...
| Got 'em on the first try. They're dead, Jim. |
... while two other members of the gang managed to flee.
| 'One minute they was trading shots with us, then 'Woosh!', da was gone!' |
| Almost as if they were never there in the first place. |
Both sides traded at least 40 bullets during the clash, they added.
| 39 by the RAB -- that works out to 13 for each mook. |
Rab members and a patrol team of Khilgaon Police Station sent the bodies ...
| 'Hey, give me a hand! There's three of them this time!' |
... to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy.
| Three more for Dr. Quincy, who no doubt will conclude that they're well and truly dead. |
They recovered three firearms and 10 cocktails from the scene and seized the private car.
| So they were DUI as well? No wonder they got plugged. Can't tolerate drinking and driving and shooting ... |
Babu's father Moklesur Rahman alleged that Rab personnel picked up his son and his two friends--Kalu and Belal--from a restaurant at East Rampura on May 14.
| Along with the cocktails for later ... |
“Though my son is found dead, Kalu and Belal still remain missing,” Moklesur Rahman said.
| Didya check the morgue, Pops? |
Family members of two other deceased--Sukkur and Sohel--said Rab members arrested the two on Saturday night.
| 'Come along Sukkur and Sohel, youse coming wit us. No, no, don't bother to pack anything.' |
Family members said Sohel and his friend Babu had been carrying out criminal activities for last several years and they did not maintain any relationship with Sohel. They, however, claimed that Sukkur was not a criminal. He was the driver of Sohel's car.
| Just the getaway man, never the stickup artist ... |
Talking to The Daily Star, Commanding officer of Rab-3, Sultan Mohammad Nurani denied the claim of earlier arrest of the three. He said, “There are some witnesses to the gunfight.”
'Hassim here, and Mahmoud, and Achmed, they all saw it.'
'But they're RAB as well.'
'Yeah, that's why they saw what happened.' |
He said two of the gang managed to flee during the gunfight.
| Shadows into the mist ... |
Khilgaon police said Sohel, Babu and Sukkur were wanted in twelve systems four cases--killings, arms, explosives and drugs--filed by Rab.
| And their mothers didn't love them one bit ... |
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