Family members of the six alleged muggers killed during a shootout with a Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) team in Narsingdi on Monday claimed yesterday that the men shot dead were not muggers.

Fazila Begum, mother of victim Mosharrof, said her son was a driver by profession. He was the father of four young children.

“My son cannot be a mugger. As a son of a freedom fighter he cannot commit such crimes, he was killed through a conspiracy. Had he been involved in such activities he should have been tried in a court,” she said.

Lokman Molla, brother of Nahid Molla - another victim - said his brother was a class four employee of Narsingdi municipality.

“My brother completed his SSC exams only few days ago. He has been implicated in this incident through a conspiracy,” Lokman said.

Jharna Begum, elder sister of victim Masud Afrad, also claimed that her brother was innocent. She said her brother has been a truck driver by profession for the past ten years.

“At the time of the incident, he was loading his truck with earth in the area when Rab personnel gunned him down. He was not a mugger."

Rab officials said yesterday the shooting took place as the muggers were fleeing in a microbus after snatching Tk 40,000 from a businessman at Bridge No 5 on Narsingdi-Madanganj road, around 50km northeast of the capital.

Major Golam Sarwar, Company Commander of Rab-11, in a press briefing said his team led by Lt Col Abu Hena Md Mustafa approached the area after a tip-off from the mugged businessman. He said the alleged muggers opened fire on the Rab team prompting them to retaliate with gun shots.

The identity of the businessman was not released to the press on safety grounds.

Meanwhile police handed over the victims' bodies to their families yesterday after autopsy.

The six men were identified as Nahid, 18, son of Hossain Mollah of Bilashdi; Arif, 18, son of Abul Hasim Mia of Bholanagar; Masum Afrad, 30, son of Gias Uddin Afrad and a truck driver; Mosharrof driver, 35, son of Abdul Awal of Kurerpar village; Mobarak Hossain, 30, son of Kashem Ali and a signboard maker, and Jalal, 30, son of Akkas Ali from Noakanda upazila.

Nahid and Arif had appeared in the just concluded SSC examination.

Five other men, including two Rab personnel, were injured in the gunfight. They were taken to Narsingdi Sadar Hospital and later shifted to the 100-bed District Hospital.

Jamal Uddin, DAD of Rab -11, filed three separate cases with Narsingdi Sadar police station in this connection.

ASK CONCERNED

Human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) expressed deep concern yesterday over the killing of seven people in separate gunfights at different place of the country with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab).

ASK in a press release said six people were killed in a gunfight with Rab at about 2:45pm in Narsingdi while another person was killed under similar circumstances in city's Mirpur area.

ASK opined that every person has the right to get justice under our existing judiciary system. They called for judicial investigation of the shootings and taking of necessary steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.