Of the five, two muggers were killed in Dhaka, an outlaw was killed in Kushtia, a kidnapper in Chittagong and an extremist in Naogaon, police said.

The unidentified muggers were killed in a shootout with police at Shyampur in the capital.

In Dhaka, a taxicab carrying four muggers were heading for Madanpur under Sonargaon Police Station in Narayanganj at around 10:00pm on Friday. The gang stopped their vehicle at Shanir Akhra and posing as passengers took one passenger, Solaiman Hakim.

The muggers then snatched Tk 9,020 from Solaiman at gunpoint.

The victim cried for help and a team of Demra police chased the cab that sped towards south Dhania in Shyampur area.

The muggers suddenly stopped the vehicle, came out of it and started firing on the police team indiscriminately. Police returned fire and two muggers were killed in the encounter. Two others managed to escape.

Sub-inspector Abul Kashem of Demra Police Station and Solaiman were injured in the shootout, police said.

Police recovered the money with the wallet. They also seized two revolvers and two bullets from the dead bodies.

Solaiman was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and the dead bodies were sent to Midford hospital morgue for autopsy.

Our Staff Correspondent in Chittagong reports: Leader of a gang of kidnappers was killed in crossfire between police and his associates in Rangunia in the early hours yesterday.

The criminal, Kalu Mia alias Kola, hailed from Jaynagar village under Rangunia upazila of Chittagong.

According to sources, district police arrested Kola Sunday afternoon from a remote hilly area of Razarhat in Rangunia. During primary interrogation Kola confessed to possessing illegal arms.

This prompted a police search at Razarhat taking Kola with them to recover the arms. At one stage, some 20 accomplices of the arrestee criminal started firing on police and tried to take him away. Police retaliated resulting in a gunfight in which Kola was fatally injured. He was rushed to Rangunia Health Complex where doctors declared him dead, the sources said.

Sixteen bullets of M-16 and a Chinese rifle and six bullets were recovered from the spot. Police said Kola also confessed to realising Tk 2 lakh 20 thousand in ransom in two abductions in the area recently. Despite heading a kidnappers' gang, Kola had only two abduction cases against him as the locals hardly dared to file cases against him.

Meanwhile, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), Chittagong, arrested an alleged criminal with a gun and recovered a huge quantity of liquor in two drives at Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar and in the port city in the last two days.

Tipped off, a 10-member team of the elite force arrested the criminal, Md Abu Bakar alias Monu, from his house at Saatgharpara under Moheshkhali upazila at around 2:30am yesterday.

Rab members also recovered one cut-rifle and six bullets from his possession.

In the other drive, Rab-7 seized 319 bottles of different brands of liquor from a pond at Patenga seabeach in the port city at about 5:00pm on Sunday.

UNB reports: A local leader of outlawed Biplobi Communist Party (BCP), Aynal Hossain Mondol, was killed in crossfire between his accomplices and police in Kushtia on Friday.

Aided by Pabna police, Kushtia Islamic University police had arrested

Aynal in Bhangura thana of Pabna district on Wednesday.

Acting on his statement, police along with Aynal proceeded towards Balarampur village in search of illegal arms and ammunition.

"As the police team reached Balampur at about 3:30am on Friday, Aynal' s accomplices opened fire on it in a bid to take him away, prompting police to fire back," said a member of the police party.

Aynal was killed in the 'crossfire'.

The body was taken to Kushtia General Hospital for autopsy.

BSS reports: A top extremist, Shafiqul Islam, was killed in crossfire between police and his accomplices at Atrai in Naogaon in the early hours of Saturday.

Sub-inspector of police Shaheed Ashraf was critically injured in the shootout, police said.

Shafiqul was an absconding accused of the sensational 'six-murder' at Atrai and a charge-sheeted accused in Advocate Sobhan Chowdhury murder case.

Naogaon Superintendent of Police Jamil Ahmed told reporters Shafiqul was arrested from Omarhat of Nandigram thana Friday afternoon and taken to police station.

On the basis of his confession, a police team accompanied by Shafiqul went to Lalpara Sluice Gate area to recover illegal arms. But accomplices of Shafiqul fired on the police team and police also fired shots in self-defence.

Shafiqul tried to escape from police custody but he was killed in the shootout.

Police seized one revolver, three revolver bullets and four cartridges from the spot.

Shafiqul's body was handed over to his family after autopsy.