Bagerhat: Two suspected pirates were killed in a ‘gunfight’ with members of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Katlar Khal of Baleshwar River under Swarankhola range of the Sundarbans on Wednesday morning.

The deceased are Yusuf Fakir, second-in-command of the robber gang and Ruhul Amin, a gang member who was assigned to kill people, said RAB.

Based on information that members of a pirate gang, Abbas Bahini were staying in the area, a team of the elite force carried out a drive in Baleshwar River on Tuesday night, said Hasan Emon Al Rajib, wing commander of RAB-8.

Sensing the presence of the RAB personnel in Katlar Khal, members of the gang opened fire on them, forcing the RAB members to retaliate that triggered a gunfight around 7:45am, he said.

Several gunshots were traded between the pirate gang and the RAB members during the 45 minutes gun battle.

Yusuf and Ruhul were caught in the line of fire and died on the spot, RAB sources said, adding that other members of the gang managed to flee the spot.

The RAB team also recovered seven local and foreign firearms and 124 bullets from the spot.