Questions over death in 'shootout'
Neighbours yesterday contradicted the police version of the event that led to the death of a man in the capital's Kafrul on Sunday night, raising questions if it was a murder by cops.
According to a DMP press release, Salam was killed in a shootout with his cohorts and law enforcers at 11:00pm near the collapsible gate of his house at Paschim Baisteki.
But the house owner and neighbours told The Daily Star that they saw uniformed and plainclothes cops storm Salam's house and heard three to four shots coming from the room.
Salam's one-room flat on the first floor is about 10 yards from where police claim the shootout took place.
Phuljan Begum, owner of the three-storey building, who lives on the second floor, said she also heard police order neighbours to “shut up and stay clear”.
According to police record, Salam was a
robber and stood accused in 31 cases in Kafrul and Bhashantek police stations alone.
Salam's mother Rawshanara Begum alleged police killed her son after taking bribe from his rivals. She admitted her son was accused in several cases and served time in prison several years ago.
The house owner said Salam rented the room a month ago and had been living there with his wife, Ruby, and their two-and-a-half-years-old child.
She said after the shooting police personnel were seen in front of the house till 3:00am of Monday.
The Daily Star spoke with several tenants of the building separately and their version of the event corroborates Phuljan's accounts.
According to them, police first entered the building and asked residents not to move and then stormed Salam's room. A few minutes later, the tenants heard three to four gunshots.
About one and a half hours later police took away an unconscious Salam, who was bleeding, neighbours said.
Contacted yesterday, Zakir Hossain, assistant commissioner (Pallabi zone) of DMP, denied shooting Salam inside his room. He insisted the incident took place near the collapsible gate.
According to the DMP press release, Salam was shot by his cohorts as they opened fire sensing police presence. Hit, one man fell down while the others fled.
Police went to the area on information that a gang was preparing for a robbery, the release said, adding that one police member, Sub-inspector Zahir Raihan, also suffered bullet injuries in the shooting.
Asked where the SI was hit, Zakir Hossain said he did not know it, but his colleague was taking treatment at Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital.
Salam was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead around 1:15am.
DMCH sources said he was hit in the hand, leg, waist and shoulder.
Police arrested Salam's wife from the house on charges of possessing a foreign pistol, three bullets, one magazine, 205 packs of heroin and 100 yaba tablets, said Zakir Hossain.
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