Chittagong: Four people including a woman were killed and three police members were injured as a team of police’s counter-terrorism unit started another drive in a suspected militant hideout at the College road in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong on Thursday morning.

Starting at about 6:00am, the drive, Assault 16, ended at about 10:00am.

However, identity of the deceased could not be known immediately.

The injured police members, two of them are Special Weapon and Tactic (SWAT) members and another fire fighter, were admitted to a hospital in Chittagong.

The law enforcers also rescued around twenty residents from the house who were trapped inside during the raid.

It has been known, a joint team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), SWAT and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members cordoned off the two-storied building Chhayanir suspected it as a militants’ hideout at about 4:00pm on Wednesday.

Suspected militants of the house also opened fire at night. However, the noise of firing could not be heard after the midnight.

Later, the law enforcers’ joint team started operation at about 6:10am. Police members opened fire from the outside of the house, while the suspected militants hurled bombs from the den.

Three police members including two SWAT members were injured during the explosion.

CTTC additional commissioner Abdul Mannan said at least two militants were killed during the raid. However, the operation is still on.

Abdul Mannan said the number of the militants hiding into the house has not been cleared yet. The law enforcers are trying to unarmed them.

Earlier, on Wednesday afternoon, police unearthed two 'militant dens' at Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong.

The police team surrounded a house owned by Suresh Biswas in Madhyam Mahadebpur village in Sitakunda. Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, the militants staying at the house hurled three grenades at them, prompting them to swing into action around 3 pm. Later, police team entered the house and took into custody a couple—Jashim and his wife Arjina.

They also recovered a number of grenades, bombs and firearms from the house.

Following information gleaned from the couple, the same team raided another house, believed to be a militant hideout, in Premtala area, one kilometre away from their house, and surrounded it.

When police tried to enter the house, suspected militants hurled hand grenades at them, leaving two policemen, including officer-in-charge of Sitakunda Police Station Mozammel, injured.

Later, a joint team of SWAT and district police made another attempt around 8pm to enter the house. However, the militants charged hand grenades again.