Gangsters now in jail fear police will chalk their deaths up to an attempt to escape either during a search or a transfer to another cell, said sources. In one controversial case, police said convicted gangster Pichchi Hannan died in crossfire on August 6 after he was taken out of a jail cell for a criminal search.

Criminal sources also claim law enforcers have held several meetings planning the fate of eight to ten high-profile criminals now behind bars, noting that top criminals facing serious criminal charges often manage to get out of jail on bail, which frustrates the police.

Since June, 65 people have been killed either in shootouts with, or in the custody of, elite forces such as Rapid Action Battalion, Cheetah and Cobra. Officially the law-enforcing agencies insist they work strictly by the book.

But one anonymous police source was more forthcoming. "The present explanation of 'crossfire' after the death of any criminal is raising questions about the role of law-enforcement agencies," the source admitted.

He said a new plan has been devised to free law enforcement agencies from public cynicism over controversial deaths: "To avoid criticism, it will be said from now on that the criminals are dying in shootouts with other gang criminals." He added that plainclothes cops will run future operations.

More than 49 people -- including Pichchi Hannan and his associates Debashish and Mollah Shamim in the capital, Ahmadul Haq Chowdhury (alias Ahmudya) in Chittagong, and Jan-e-Alam (alias Jainnya) and his nine aides in Raozan -- died during Rab operations.

Four, including "Killer" Bhutto and Boma Rafiq, died during the operations of Cobra and Cheetah.

Several innocent people, including a five-year-old girl, have also died in crossfire.

Gulshan police surprised observers on September 2 by petitioning for the remand of top criminal Bikash Kumar Biaswas in connection with an eight-year-old mugging case when he was already serving a seven-year term.

His lawyers appealed to the High Court on September 6 for a stay on the remand. The High Court granted the stay on September 27.

"We were surprised to see the court staying the remand of a top criminal," a mid-rank police officer said. "I don't get why they fear police remand when we're not involved in such [elite anti-crime] operations."

Asked why police would try to nail a notorious criminal like Bikash on a simple mugging case fully eight years after it was filed, one police officer involved admitted his own surprise. To the same query, however, AB Siddiqui of the Gulshan Station had an answer.

Sub-Inspector Siddique, who is probing the case as the second investigating officer, said: "Bikash was one of the criminals active in the area during the period of incident, and I showed him as the arrestee in the case. After discussion with the higher authorities, I sought his remand."

A low-level criminal released from Dhaka Central Jail recently said many criminals now fear for their lives when being freed either on bail or after the dismissal of cases filed against them. This is why they are not interested in disposing the cases against them, he said. And they fear that once they are out, they will be arrested and interrogated again under new cases.

Some officials suggest it is better to kill repeat offenders than risk them committing further crimes. "They always manage bail despite having so many cases against their name," a government policymaker told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity.

On the apprehension of execution, relative of a criminal who was produced before the court recently said they (criminals) might be killed during interrogation.

Some police officers opposed the idea and said none of the criminals who are in jail for long was killed so far in either of the way.

Killer Abbas, one of the country's top 23 listed criminals, and Bikash are now kept in Narayanganj Jail. Liakot, another of the 23, is in Chittagong, and notorious criminal Sweden Aslam and Badiuzzaman Badhsha in Gazipur, Leather Liton in Kashimpur-2 Jail.

Sources close to some top criminals said they recently have had information that the law-enforcers are making new plans to eliminate some infamous criminals not only on the run but also inside jail.

"According to sources, the law enforcers will interrogate the targeted men after remanding them and will kill them either during interrogation or somewhere else and try to pass it as killing in crossfire," said a source, on condition of anonymity.