A police constable was killed and three others sustained injuries in a gunfight with pirates in the Meghna River at Gazaria upazila in Munshiganj in the early hours of yesterday.
Superintendent of Police, Munshiganj Md Habibur Rahman said the gunfight had ensued when a team of police had been patrolling the river riding on a trawler.
Then, the police noticed presence of robbers on two trawlers and chased the vessels, but sensing danger, the robbers opened fire at four law enforcers, prompting the law enforcers to retaliate with bullets.
Constable Abdul Malek fell into the river after being hit by a bullet, he said.
Around eight hours after the gunfight, divers from fire service and civil defence recovered the bullet-riddle body of Malek, he said, adding, a number of gang members might have received bullet wounds during the clash, but they managed to flee the scene with a trawler.
Police seized another trawler of the robbers with looted valuables and several sharp weapons.
Meanwhile, a group of Jamaat-Shibir activists attacked a police team and vandalised two private cars following the arrest of a Jammat leader at Ranibandar in Dinajpur yesterday.
Police said they had arrested a local Jamaat leader Abdur Rouf around 11am.
Hearing the news of his arrest, Jamaat-Shibir men hurled brick chips at police and put up barricade on the Dinajpur-Rangpur highway.
Later, additional police went to the spot and rescued them.
Meanwhile, Detective Branch of police arrested Cox’s Bazar district unit Jamaat Ameer Abu Taher Chowdhury in the afternoon.
