Man killed in ‘gunfight’

A man was killed in a “gunfight” with police in Mymensingh Sadar upazila early yesterday.

The dead Sajal Mia, 24, was a drug peddler and had six cases against him, including four related to drugs, claimed police.

Family of the dead, however, alleged that Sajal and his brother Harun Mia, 25, were picked up by plainclothes men on Thursday night and kept in police custody until yesterday.

Sajal’s mother Safia Khatun said, “I met my sons at the office of Detective Branch [of police] on Friday morning. I also gave them clothes there. But they [police officials] have denied to share my sons’ whereabouts since Friday afternoon.

“I went back to the office [police station] on Saturday morning and stayed there until night. I kept begging to them [police officials] so that they allow me to meet my sons. But they did not,” the wailing mother said.

Asked, Shah Kamal Akanda, officer-in-charge of Mymensingh DB police, denied the allegations and said Safia went to the police station and police permitted her to visit their lockup but she could not find her sons there.

A police team yesterday conducted a raid in Nizamnagar area on information that a group of criminals were peddling drugs. As soon as the law enforcers reached the area, the criminals opened fire, forcing them to retaliate, the OC claimed.

At one point of the “gunfight”, Sajal sustained bullet injuries and his cohorts fled the scene. Police then rushed him to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead, he added.

The body was sent to Mymensingh Medical College morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, Sajal’s brother Harun was produced before a court in the district on charges of peddling drugs.

OC Kamal said they arrested Harun in the town’s Islambagh Beribadh area early yesterday along with three others and produced them before a court with a five-day remand plea.