Rakib Hasan, 35, one of the three convicted members of banned Islamist militant outfit Jammatul Mujahedin Bangladesh [JMB] held hours after they were snatched from a prison van, was killed in a “gunfight” with the police at Mirzapur in Tangail district in the small hours of Monday.Rakib was a Majlish-e-Shura member of the JMB and was awarded death penalty in Joseph Gani Gomez Mandal killing case. Hailing from Jamalpur district, he was accused in at least 30 cases and sentenced to life term in another case.Police had caught him red-handed at Taktarchala area in the upazila on Sunday afternoon while he was trying to escape the scene boarding a three-wheeler just five hours after the attack on police van at Trishal in Mymensingh. “Police along with Rakib conducted a drive at Banshtalal area in Mirzapur-Shakhipur area when the JMB members attacked them ensuing a gun battle. Rakib and three other policemen-two from Sakhipur police station and one from detective branch-sustained bullet injuries in the gunfight,” SP of Tangail Hashibul Alam said.He said, “On the basis of information from Rakib, a squad of 30 policemen went to Baltail Ceramic area of Mirzapur at around 4am to capture the two other JMB men who were snatched along with him from the prison van.” “Sensing presence of the law enforcers, the cohorts of Rakib opened fire on the policemen, to ensue a brief gunfight. Rakib sustained bullet wounds in his neck and chest. He was rushed to the nearby Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital, where the on-duty physicians pronounced him dead. Police recovered a shutter gun from the place of occurrence while the accomplices of Rakib managed to escape,” the SP added.Meanwhile, the members of the law enforcement agencies are conducting a massive manhunt operation in Mymensingh, Tangail and the adjoining areas to nab two fleeing leaders of the JMB.Police Headquarters has also issued photographs of the two fugitive JMB men, Salauddin Ahmed alias Salehin and Zahidul Islam alias “Boma” Mizan. Of them, Salauddin was a condemned convict while “Boma” Mizan was jailed for 37 years in different cases. The photos have already been sent to all bordering outposts and police stations across the country. Besides, the Police Headquarters have also increased the amount of bounty for the two absconding from 2 lakh to five lakh each.Meanwhile, two persons -of the attackers of the prison van-who were arrested earlier were placed on a 20-day remand yesterday. Sonia Begum, Senior Judicial Magistrate in Tangail, granted the remand in two cases filed over the incident after Shakipur police produced Zakaria Hossain and Md Russell before the court.The local people caught microbus driver Zakaria, 29, and handed him over to police on Sunday in Shakhipur, reports our Tangail correspondent. Besides, another person Russell, 28, was arrested by the police at Toktarchala area on the same day.On Sunday morning, an armed gang of 10-15 criminals snatched away Rakib and two other convicted JMB militants from Trishal upazila of Mymensingh after killing a police constable and inuring three other cops. The convicted JMB operatives were taking to Mymensingh from Kashimpur of Gazipur.Trishal Police Station Sub-Inspector Mokhlesur Rahman filed two separate cases under the Explosives Act and for killing a policeman. A three-member probe body headed by Deputy inspector General [DIG] of Criminal Investigation Department [CID] Saiful Alam was also formed to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report in three working days.
