Rab (Rapid Action Battalion) identified Abul Kalam Azad alias Sumon, 22, a Jubo League leader, as a notorious criminal.

Alleged criminals Saidur Rahman, 35, and Badiuzzaman Buddu, 34, died in yesterday's encounters.

DHAKA

A Rab press release said one of their patrol teams went to road No. 4 of Block F in Bansree Project at around 3:30am on information that a gang of criminals had assembled there to commit a crime.

As soon as they reached the area, the gang opened fire on them, prompting the Rab men to return fire.

After the criminals fled the scene, the Rab team found bullet-riddled body of a criminal and a revolver loaded with two bullets.

Khilgaon police later identified him as Sumon alias Goailya Sumon of East Goran, the press release said.

Sumon was the acting joint convenor of ward No 25 unit Jubo League, the youth front of the main opposition Awami League (AL).

Witnesses and Sumon's family members said Rab arrested him at a cable operator's office in Goran at around 8:30pm Monday. A local ward commissioner runs the office.

Sumon's father Abdul Hakim later found him sitting in a Rab jeep parked inside Rab-3 office at Tikatuli at about 2:30am yesterday.

AL Organising Secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury claimed Sumon to be innocent. He said Sumon had no criminal records, and was a dedicated leader of Jubo League.

He [Sumon] had distributed leaflets in the local mosques in March this year to mobilise locals against deviation from the original design of Khilgaon fly over.

PROTEST
Hundreds of locals in East Goran took to the streets yesterday protesting Sumon's death in Rab custody.

Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Jubo League General Secretary Mirza Azam MP, among others, participated in an hour-long procession, which paraded the Goran streets, starting from 10:00am.

Mahmuda Islam Marzina, ruling BNP-backed female ward commissioner, and Wadudul Haq, father of another BNP-backed ward commissioner [ward No 24] Abdul Quayum, visited Sumon's family in their house at 259/1, East Goran.

"Sumon was polite and there was no case against him. His killing is abominable and it should be investigated who had directed Rab to kill him," said Marzina.

Sumon's namaj-e-janaza will be held after johr prayers today and he will be buried at Azimpur Graveyard later.

PALLABI
After a tip-off, a joint team of Pallabi and Savar police arrested Saidur Rahman, an absconding criminal, on Dhaka-Aricha Highway at Amin Bazar at about 9:30pm Monday. He was going to Savar in a car.

The police also picked up Masum Billah from the car.

During interrogation at Pallabi Police Station, Saidur confessed to having illegal firearms hidden in Sagufta NM Housing area, said a police press release.

Following the statement, a police team led by assistant police commissioner of Mirpur took him there at 2:25am yesterday.

"As soon as the policemen reached the area, criminals lying in wait there opened fire and hurled bombs at them," reads the press release, adding that police too fired in self-defence.

At one stage of the gunfight, Saidur got shot. Sub-Inspector Syeduzzaman and Assistant Sub-Inspector Imanur Hossain were also hurt in the shootout, police said.

Police rushed Saidur to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

A .32 bore revolver, a local gun, eight bullets, two knives, and five handmade bombs were recovered from the spot.

RAJSHAHI 'ENCOUNTER’
Our correspondent from Rajshahi reports: A team of Rab-5 arrested Badiuzzaman Buddu at Shialkhol Bazar in Sirajganj on Monday noon.

During interrogation at Rab headquarters in Rajshahi, Buddu admitted his involvement in a number of crimes and promised to assist Rab in netting some other notorious criminals, said a Rab press release.

Following leads extracted from him, a Rab team took him to Bagmara to arrest the criminals. But as they reached Ramrama Kharadipara, a gang of criminals opened fire on Rab vehicles, forcing the Rab men to retaliate.

Buddu managed to flee from the Rab's vehicle at one point of the encounter. After the shootout, the Rab men found him lying critically wounded by the roadside. They rushed him to Bagmara Health Complex, where doctors declared him dead.

The Rab press release said they recovered a shutter gun, two bullets, and two blank cartridges from the scene.

Buddu was accused in nine criminal cases and some of those were for robbery and murder. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail in one of the cases.

Reportedly a close aide to a minister, Buddu joined AL in 1996 and returned to BNP after 2001 general election.

Rab claimed that he was involved in attacking Randhuni Police Camp in 2003 when four policemen were murdered and several firearms were looted.

He was allegedly involved in murders of Korban of Shialkhol union in 1993, Zamat Ali of Nalinda in 1994, Ansar in 1996, UP chairman Shahjahan in 1998, Fazal Rahman of Bhadraghat in 2000.