An alleged criminal was killed in a gunfight between his cohorts and members of Rapid Action Battalion in the capital’s Badda area early yesterday, the elite force claimed.
Family members said that Jahirul Islam Bijoy, 32, was a car driver, and that they had no idea about his involvement in serious crimes.
“I received a phone call on October 20 when the caller said that some plainclothes men had picked my son up. Later I found the phone switched off. Bijoy remained missing since that day,” Rehana Begum, mother of the victim, told the Dhaka Tribune.
Bijoy used to live in Anandanagar area of Badda with his wife. They got married two months ago.
He died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 3:30am. Hospital sources said that Bijoy had bullet injury marks on his body.
RAB officials claimed that noted criminal Bijoy had been known as Kutta Jahir in Badda and Rampura areas. The elite force recovered one foreign pistol, two rounds of bullets, one local pipe gun and one round pistol bullet from his possession. A number of cases including murder were registered against Bijoy with different police stations.
Maj Maksudul Alam, senior assistant director of RAB’s legal and media wing, gave an identical version of the so-called gunfight. The elite force has long been criticised for killing of people in gunfights and crossfires, and later labelling them as criminals.
A patrol team of RAB 1 conducted the drive based on information that some criminals were taking position in Sunvally area of Badda, he said. Sensing the presence of RAB officials, the criminals opened fire at the vehicle leaving two personnel injured.
“The RAB officials retaliated in self defence and to save government property. After the criminal group fled the scene, RAB members found an injured person on the spot. Doctors declared him dead at the DMCH,” he added.
RAB officials claimed that Bijoy was an accused in Master Sohel murder case. He was earlier arrested several times in arms cases. He established supremacy in Badda and Rampura areas by raising his own group.
According to locals, Bijoy was engaged in land grabbing, extortion and snatching.
Aminul Islam, a sub-inspector of Badda police, corroborated RAB’s statement.