[Dhaka Tribune] Notorious criminal Kailya Babu, prime accused in the Moghbazar triple murder case, was killed in an alleged shootout with detective police yesterday; but several witnesses claimed there was no fight and Babu was shot by police from close range.Following Shah Alam Khandakar alias Kailya Babu's death, DB told journalists at a presser that they got information that Babu, along with his gang, was going to the Moghbazar area to kill Kailya Chand Mia, plaintiff of the triple murder case.
The detectives took position in the Bepari Goli near the Moghbazar Wireless area around 4am and were waiting for the criminals to arrive. Soon, a group of criminals opened fire on the law enforcers and a young man was killed in the "shootout." The dead man was later identified as Kailya Babu, DB claimed.
However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth...
Kailya Babu's wife Marium Begum, who identified the body at the Dhaka Medical College Morgue, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone that her husband had already been nabbed
Please don't kill me!
in Narayanganj on Sunday night by DB and so he could not be there in Moghbazar the next morning.
The latest incident comes only a day after a young man, not listed anywhere as a criminal, was killed in the capital's Mugda area. The Detective Branch (DB) of Police labelled that as a "shootout" as well.
Witness account
The Dhaka Tribune has talked to several people from the Bepari Goli area who claimed to have witnessed the entire incident.
A tenant of a building near which the alleged shootout took place, witnessed the incident from his balcony.
"The incident took place in front of the Marjana Printing Press near the Jamaat office. Around 2:45am, a microbus stopped near the press. Five men-- three in DB jackets and two in plain clothes -- got down from the microbus. They had with them a young man in handcuffs.
"They walked a few metres past the closed tin gate of the press. Then one of the men in DB jacket gave the handcuffed man a little push and told him to run.
"We know you can ran fast and vanish. Run...run..." the witness quoted the DB men as telling Babu.
"But sensing that he might be shot from the back if he started running, Babu started stepping back towards the DB men. One of them then hit Babu on the head with a bamboo stick and called him names for not running. But Babu would still not move. Then one of the DB personnel took Babu by his arm and started firing at him.
"I remember at least six to seven gunshots. But all of those shots were not fired at Babu. Some hit a nearby wall and the tin gate of the printing press," the witness said.
"After handcuffed Babu fell on the ground, the DB men screamed saying: 'Check whether he is carrying a bomb or not. Get the firearms from his hand."
Soon, some other men, who were waiting in the microbus, emerged at the scene and started firing blank shots at the walls of the nearby buildings with holding numbers 495, 510, 511 and 513. They fired at least 20 rounds of bullets in the air as well.
"While firing the gunshots, they were shouting: We have got two other criminals. Look for the others...run...search," the witness said.
This description is consistent with the DB's claim at the presser that they had picked up two other criminals during yesterday's raid.
Another witness watched the incident from the window of her kitchen in a flat on a nearby building.
"After the shooting, the DB men picked up the bullet shells from the ground. Around 4:15am, a van from the Ramna cop shoppe came there. Police in uniform got down from the vehicle and asked the DB men what had happened there. The DB men said there had been a shootout and asked the uniformed police to take away the body," she said.
Quoting one of the DB men, the witness said: "Take him direct to the medical... I think he [Kailya Babu] may survive."
Other witnesses said many had woken up in the middle of the night hearing the sound of the gunshots. But the DB men told them to stay inside and keep their doors and windows closed.
One of the witnesses said Babu had been wearing a green and white T-shirt and jeans trousers but no footwear.
They also reported seeing a "victory procession" in the area around 10:15am brought out by Kailya Chand Mia and some other local people. Apparently, they were celebrating the death of Kailya Babu.
DB's version
During yesterday's presser, DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam told news hounds that Babu could have been killed by bullets from either their guns or his cohorts'.
The team that conducted the drive was headed by DB Deputy Commissioner Krishnapada Roy and his deputy Abdullah Al Mamun.
Monirul claimed that the criminal gang, who opened fire on the DB team had seven to eight members. Four of them expeditiously departed at a goodly pace but DB caught Rajib-Al-Hasan, 27, and Al-Amin, 31.
According to DB, on the day of the triple murder, Rajib, who is a notorious criminal from Old Dhaka, provided arms and bullets to Kailya Babu.
Al-Amin, meanwhile, was wanted in a case filed in connection with the killing of a Ansar man at Moghbazar. Kailya Babu was involved with that murder as well.
The DB official also claimed that they had recovered a foreign-made pistol, three rounds of bullets, seven rounds of bullet shells, three rounds of shot gun bullet shells and a machete from the spot.