DHAKA, 1 October 2004 — At least 10 members of a terror gang including its leader were killed in a gunbattle with the elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at Raozan in the southeastern Chittagong district early yesterday.
Members of the Jane Alam Bahini, named after its leader, were killed in the shootout that erupted when the terrorists opened fire on the security forces.
Acting on a tip-off, the RAB raided a home where the criminals were hiding at a hillock village, some five kilometers from the sub-district headquarters.
Jane Alam and other terrorists were in the house when the RAB members swooped on them, the sources said.
Two members of the RAB were wounded during the fight, police said.
Battalion officers recovered seven firearms, including one AK-47 rifle, as well as a large quantity of ammunition after killing 10 members of the gang believed involved in robbery and kidnapping, officials said.
“We are pursuing criminals all over the country, trying to eliminate them,” battalion commander Lt. Col. Emdad Haque told Reuters. Deployed to tackle spreading crime, the battalion has killed five criminals in Chittagong district in the past two months, police said.
In recent years, armed criminals operating in the Chittagong hill and forest region have abducted half a dozen businessmen for ransom and killed those who failed to pay, police said.
The Rapid Action Battalion, comprising members of the defense forces and police, was raised this year to combat hardened criminals nationwide. The RAB cops are equipped with modern arms and equipment to deal with terrorists.
