With these, the death toll in 'crossfire' has risen to 240 since June last.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recovered an AK-47 assault rifle with a magazine and 77 bullets, a sophisticated revolver, six cartridges and three guns hidden by Gittu Nasir and his gang in Khondakia and Charia Havilderpara villages under Hathazari upazila in Chittagong.

A significant fact in these three incidents is Bagmara police in Rajshahi implicated the PBCP operative killed in 'crossfire' yesterday in four murders that had earlier been reported to take place at Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) camps or by its cadres.

GITTU NASIR'S DEATH
Our staff correspondent in Chittagong reports: Mohammad Nasiruddin alias Gittu Nasir, 36, a top linchpin of Chittagong underworld, was killed in alleged 'crossfire' between his gang and a Rab-7 team at Chaira Havilderpara village in Hathazari at around 2:15am yesterday.

Gittu Nasir was arrested at a Jatrabari slum in the capital by a special team of Rab-7 of Chittagong with assistance of Rab-3 of Dhaka on Monday night or, as a Rab press release mentioned, at 4:30am Tuesday.

Gittu was brought to Rab-7 headquarters at Patenga here at around 8:30 Tuesday morning and quizzed extensively.

"During interrogations Gittu confessed to all the criminal activities and killings he was accused of committing in the last few years," said a Rab press release yesterday. "He also disclosed that he has kept his personal AK-47 rifle at an hideout near Sher Khan Dighi at Khondakia village in Hathazari," it added.

Sources said, acting on his confession, a Rab-7 team took him to the spot and recovered the rifle, 30 bullets and a magazine from under the ground behind a toilet on the south bank of Sher Khan pond that evening.

Gittu was then brought back to the Rab-7 headquarters and interrogated further.

Rab said, "This time he started divulging sensational information about his gang and cadres and the wide range of criminal acts by his associates Habib Khan, Gias Hazarika, Taleban Sohel, Azrail Delwar and Sajjad Khan, and admitted that he has more arms at Charia Havilderpara village."

Following these leads, a 10-member Rab-7 team took him to the village at around 2:15am yesterday.

"As they reached near a tin-shed house owned by one Mohammad Musa, near a brick kiln, Gittu's gang waylaid and attacked the Rab team to snatch their leader," Rab said.

As the elite crack team opened counter-fire a half-an-hour gunfight ensued that saw an exchange of 40 to 50 rounds of bullets.

"At one stage, Gittu started to run to make an escape but fell in the line of fire and was hit by bullets. He was rushed in a critical condition to Hathazari Upazila Health Complex, where the doctors on duty declared him dead," a Rab press release said.

Sergeant Abul Kalam of Rab was also injured in the skirmish, but he is now out of danger, said Rab sources. After the gang of Gittu had fled the scene, Rab recovered a revolver, a DBL gun, two SBL guns, six gun cartridges, 47 bullets of AK-47 rifle, one spent bullet of pistol and three of AK-47 rifle from the spot, the Rab release said.

Later, Gittu's body was handed over to Hathazari Police Station. Two cases were filed in this connection.

Rab said Gittu Nasir was a wanted criminal, accused in more than dozen cases and sentenced to death in one of them. Nine of the cases were of murder, including one on eight murders, two on triple and one on double killing incidents. He and his gang killed at least 21 people.

Gittu was accused of killing Awami League leader and Panchlaish Ward Commissioner Liaqat Ali Khan on June 2, 1999. He was wanted in a case for killing six Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, a microbus and an auto-rickshaw driver by brushfire on July 12, 2000 at Bahaddarhat in the port city.

He and three more Shibir cadres were awarded death sentence for the gruesome murder of Nazirhat College Principal Gopal Krishna Muhuri in Jamal Khan on November 16, 2001. He was also the alleged mastermind behind a looting of Tk 56 lakh of a textile industry at Kalurghat on April 1, 2004.

Among other victims of Gittu and his gang, Korean Export Promotion Zone Managing Director Golam Rabbani was killed at Muradpur on April 11, 2004 and Shibir cadre Chhota Saiful, his brother Alamgir and sister Monwara Begum at Baluchhara near Chittagong Cantonment on June 30, 2004.

DEATH OF APU
Our staff correspondent in Chittagong reports: A top terrorist of Sitakunda, Apu Kumar Nath, 35, was killed in alleged crossfire between his accomplices and the police at Sandwip Ghata in Banshbaria under Sitakunda upazila at around 3:00am yesterday.

BDNEWS adds: Police sources said police arrested Apu at Agrabad in the port city Tuesday afternoon. During interrogation, he confessed to have an arms cache beside the Banshbaria cross dam.

When police took him there to recover illegal arms, they were ambushed by Apu's accomplices, prompting them to retaliate, police said.

According to police sources, Apu received bullet injuries when he tried to escape and died on the spot. Police recovered a loaded LG and 10 rounds of bullets from the spot.

Apu, a former leader of JSD Chhatra League and son of Nirmal Nath, hailed from Maj Pukur of Sitakunda. He stood accused in 10 cases on killings and robberies.

DEATH OF PBCP MAN IMPLICATED BY POLICE IN MURDERS BY JMJB
Our staff correspondent in Rajshahi reports: Manjur Rahman Sardar, a listed outlaw belonging to PBCP-Lal Potaka was killed in an alleged 'crossfire' between police and his comrades in Moshai Beel area of Goalkandi union under Bagmara upazila in the district early yesterday.

Manjur, who hailed from Talgharia, was also known as Amjad, Mansur, Terror Manju and Pistol Manju and was the 24th most wanted outlaw on the police list.

But, Manjur's family members claimed he was not an outlaw but an ordinary rickshaw-puller in Rajshahi City.

Detective Branch of police arrested Manjur at a slum in the city's Bulonpur on Tuesday while he was suspected to holding a secret PBCP meeting, a police report said.

Accrding to police, after interrogation, they took him to Moshai Beel to catch his comrades in the early hours yesterday. As police reached the scene, his accomplices opened fire on them, starting a 30-minute exchange of fire, they added.

As Monjur tried to flee, he received fatal injuries getting caught in the line of fire, police claimed, adding when they took him to Bagmara Upazila Health Complex, doctors declared him dead.

According to police story, the attackers managed to melt away, as usual, and police recovered a shutter gun and two bullets from the spot.

Police Sub-inspector Aminuzzaman filed a case with Bagmara Police Station in this regard, accusing 20 unnamed persons.

Police in its report said Manjur was suspected to be involved in five murder cases, including four killings that had earlier been reported to take place at Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) camps or by its cadres.

Police in the report also termed JMJB operations as a movement of villagers to resist communist outlaws, and said Manjur was on the run since the movement began.

Manjur was shown as a suspected accomplice in the murders of Mamtaz Khamaru, Monakka, Golam Rabbani Mukul, Diponkor, Akbor Ali and Mahbub Hossain.

Golam Rabbani Mukul was killed at a JMJB camp on April 11 last year and his cries under torture were broadcast over loudspeakers. Diponkor was beaten to death on April 27 and Akbor Ali was slaughtered before the eyes of his wife and daughters on November 27 last year.

Mahbub Hossain was killed on January 22 last, as some JMJB cadres charged bombs on villagers who surrounded them while fleeing from a foiled attack on Awami League leader Mokbul Mridha.

"Manjur was treated as a suspect in the killings as we had learnt in our investigations that there were some outlaws along with the JMJB activists during the killings," Golam Kibria, officer in charge of Bagmara Police Station explained to The Daily Star yesterday.