Eight people have been killed during a bank robbery at a branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited at Ashulia of Savar, on the outskirts of the capital Dhaka.
Ashulia OC Mustafa Kamal confirmed the deaths to the Dhaka Tribune.
Some 20 more people were injured, most of them bullet-wound, in the incident and they were admitted to Savar Enam Medical College and Hospital.
The deceased are bank manager Waliullah, 45, Monir, 60, Zillur Rahman, bank customer Palash, 38, security guard Badrul, 38, Nur Mohammad, 23, and Zamir Ali, 45.
The another deceased was a robber who was killed in a mass beating. Details about the robber could not be known immediately.
Police and witnesses said a group of 8-10 people being armed entered into the Kathgara branch of Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited in Nazimuddin Market of Asulia at 3pm on Tuesday.
They tried to take away Tk5 lakh in cash, making bank officers hostage using weapons.
As the bank officials obstructed them, they stabbed them, injuring five. Of the injured, bank manager Waliullah, bank customer Palash and security guard Badrul succumed to their injuries at Savar Enam Medical College and Hospital, the police official said.
Meanwhile, hearing the alert of a robbery being announced from the local mosque, the robbers tried to flee the area quickly by firing several rounds of shots, hurling cocktails and blasting grenades.
Some 20 people were hit by bullets at that time. Of them, three died at the same hospital immediate after they were admitted and two died at 8:30pm while undergoing treatment, the OC said.
In the meantime, two robbers were caught in the Jirabo-Bishmile area by locals while they were fleeing on a motorcycle, and another from the Durgapur area.
One of them was killed in a mass beating.
When police went to recover the other members of the robbery group from the locals, they got locked into a clash with the locals. The angry mob vandalised two police vehicles.
Later, more police personnel arrived at the scene and brought the situation under control, and rescued a robber and took him to Enam Medical College and Hospital.
The Ashulia OC also said five cocktails and grenades were recovered from the scene.
