The incident took place in front of the Sardarbari Nursery in the Upazila’s Begaritola around 3am on Friday, according to Keshabpur Police OC Jashim Uddin.

The dead man has been identified a Nurul Haque Keru, 47, a ‘marked robber’ implicated in at least 10 cases with the police, said OC Jashim.

An arrest warrant was out for Nurul, who was apprehended by locals in the Upazila’s Chingrakhali while attempting to rob an auto-rickshaw.

He was later placed into police custody around 12pm on Thursday where he divulged details about his accomplices and their weapons stash.

“Police later launched a raid on the spot with Nurul in tow. But when the law enforcers arrived, his accomplices opened fire on them, prompting a retaliation from the police. Nurul was caught in the crossfire and died on the scene.”

A gun, a round of bullets and four sharp weapons were recovered from the spot, according to the OC.