A man has died in Mymensingh in an alleged shootout with police as part of the government’s nationwide ‘war on drugs’.
The shootout took place in Khandakar Para area in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh around 2:15 am on Wednesday, said Ashikur Rahman, chief of the detective branch of district police.
The man has been identified as 38-year-old Jalal Uddin, a suspect in six cases mostly related to drug trafficking.
A team of detective branch and Bhaluka Model Thana police raided a hideout in Khandakar Para area after being tipped off that a gang of drug dealers was peddling narcotics near a house of local resident Abdur Rouf, said Rahman.
“Sensing the presence of police, the drug peddlers started to hurl bricks and stones, and later they opened fire on them prompting the law enforcers to retaliate.”
The gunfight left Jalal wounded. He was rushed to the Mymensingh Medical College Hospital and later doctors declared him dead.
An assistant sub-inspector and a constable were injured during the gunfight. Police recovered 200 yaba pills, four bullet shells, a motorbike and weapons from the scene, according to Rahman.
More than 150 people have been killed in shootouts since law-enforcement agencies began the anti-drug crackdown on May 18, reports bdnews24.