In what appears to be a crackdown on militants following the escalating serial killings, three operatives of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were killed in separate gunfights with law enforcers in the capital and Rajshahi on Tuesday.
In the capital, two leaders of the banned militant outfit were killed in a reported gunfight during a joint drive by detectives and the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in Pallabi’s Kalshi Bridge area in the early hours.
The deceased were identified as Barek Hossain alias Milu alias Osman, a leader of Joypurhat unit JMB, and Sultan Mahmud Rana alias Kamal, hailing from Bogra.
At a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre, Monirul Islam, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police and the chief of CTTC, said tipped off that a team of JMB leaders were coming to Dhaka from the northern region of the country, the joint team of Detective Branch of police and CTTC conducted a drive in Pallabi area.
Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the JMB team blasted a hand bomb targeting them, prompting them to retaliate with firing that triggered the gun battle.
The two JMB operatives suffered bullet wounds and died on the way to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said Monirul Islam. Two DB members also received injuries during the operation.
Barek is alleged to be linked to the murder of Prof Rezaul Karim Siddiquee of Rajshahi University, while Sultan is said to have links with the attack on a Bogra Shia mosque.
Prof Rezaul Karim, 58, of the RU English Department, was killed by miscreants in the Shalbagan area of Rajshahi city on April 23.
The attack on the Shiite mosque left its muezzin dead and three devotees injured at Haripur village in Shibganj upazila in Bogra on November 26.
In Rajshahi, a JMB man, accused of having involvement in the Ahmadiyya mosque blast in Baghmara upazila, was killed in a reported gunfight with police in Foradpur area of Godagari upazila in the wee small hours.
The deceased was identified as Jamal Uddin, 25, a student of Chapainawabganj Polytechnic Institute and son of Tabjul Haque of Laxmipur village in Shibganj upazila of Chapainawabganj.
Police arrested Jamal from Babu Dyeing area in Sadar upazila of Chapainawabganj on Monday night, said SM Abu Forhad, officer-in-charge of Godagari Police Station.
Acting on the arrestee’s information, police conducted raids on the houses of Jamal and Tarek, 25, who had been killed in the mosque blast.
Tipped off that some other JMB members were staying in Foradpur, they also launched a drive there along with Jamal around 3am.
Sensing the police presence, Jamal’s associates opened fire on them, prompting the law enforcers to fire back that triggered a gunfight.
Jamal was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot. The body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for autopsy.
Jamal and Tarek had been activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir and they later joined JMB.
On December 25 last year, Tarek was killed in a blast while reportedly exploding a bomb in a mosque of the Ahmadiyya community in Baghmara upazila of Rajshahi during Jum’a prayers.
Three people were also critically injured in the incident.
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