Five most wanted criminals shot their way through a 40-member
strong elite anticrime force Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) early yesterday in Uttara in Dhaka, leaving two law enforcers and one criminal wounded.
Law enforcers arrested five people, including a Jubo League leader in the wake of the fierce firefight marked by an exchange of at least 150 shots in the first frontal engagement by Rab since its launch on April 14.
The gang led by notorious criminal Pichchi Hannan opened fire, when the house they were using as a den was surrounded by the Rab team.
Hannan on the run for the last two and a half years with 11 cases pending against him was holding a secret meeting at house No. 2 on Khaja Garib-e-Newaz Avenue in Uttara Sector 11 Thursday night.
Tipped off, the Rab members hemmed in the house at around 12:30am yesterday. As they knocked on the door, the criminals opened the door to find the law enforcers.
Without a second thought, the gang fired from pistols which caught the Rab members off guard, sending them ducking for shelter. The criminals dashed into a car parked in front of the house and tried to drive away.
As the criminals wheeled away, the Rab members opened fire which was returned by the gang. A tyre of the car was ruptured by a bullet, but the gangsters kept driving with the flat tyre.
Major Hafiz, leader of the Rab team, chased the car on foot, shooting from his shotgun. After a chase about 100 yards down the road, Hafiz found himself abandoned by his colleagues.
Unnerved by this discovery, Hafiz gave up on his chase and the criminals sped away into the night.
The Rab team later raided the area and caught five people, such as Babul Mia, a Jubo League leader and close associate of Hannan, Shakil, Shafique, Mostafizur and Rafique.
Shakil wounded in the gunfight and the two injured Rab members were admitted to the Combined Military Hospital.
A few minutes after the shootout, a police patrol reached the scene. High police officials also visited the area. It was later found that the house the criminals used is a garment buying house.
-Dailystar
[Edited on 26-6-2004 by reverse_swing]