‘Robber’ killed in alleged police shootout, relatives claim murder

An alleged robber died on Saturday in what police narrated as a shootout in Feni’s Fulgazi, but his family said it was a murder.

Md Imran Hossain Saiful, a resident of the Kachari Bazar area in Chhagalnayia Upazila, died in the shootout in an area close to a brickfield, said Fulgazi Police Station OC MD Humayun Kabir.

Two other robbers were ‘shot’ and nine police personnel were injured in the shootout, according to Kabir. 

But Imran’s family alleges that police forcibly took him from his home and shot him in the head.

A police team conducted an operation in the GM Haat area to arrest Saiful, who was accused in several cases, including robbery, Kabir said. He said Imran attacked the team and fled.

“A police constable, Abul Khayer, 45, suffered injuries in the attack. He filed a complaint against the suspect on Friday night.”

Saiful was detained a day later and was taken on an arms raid, police said.

Saiful’s accomplices opened fire on the police team forcing them to retaliate, said OC Kabir. The victim and two of his accomplices were shot in the encounter, while nine police personnel were injured, he said.

The wounded were rushed to hospital, where doctors declared Saiful dead.

Several weapons, including firearms, have been recovered from the scene, the police officer said.

Saiful’s ‘accomplices’ were identified as Gazi Emdad Hoque and Yunus Mia, a pickup van driver and a construction worker respectively. They are undergoing treatment at Feni Sadar Hospital. 

Saiful’s brother Md Harunur Rashid claims that an armed police team “abducted” Saiful from his home around 10pm on Friday. He was shot in the head by police around 3am and his body was taken to the morgue afterwards, he said.

Police framed Imran in a robbery case at the behest of an influential local who had been feuding with Imran over land, his uncle Kazi Shah Alam said.

A case had been filed over the land dispute, but no robbery case had been filed against Imran, he added.