A combined team of Special Anti Robbery Squad and Police Mobile Force of the Imo state command have shot dead two daredevil armed robbers during a gun battle in the state.

The incident occurred in the dead of the night while the criminals were robbing residents from house to house in Ezi-Ogbaku in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.

While two died in the ensuring gun battle with the cops, the three other hoodlums fled with gunshot injuries around 2am. It was gathered that the SARS crack squad was led to the operation by its commander,Victor Godfrey, a Superintendent of police.

Addressing journalists shortly after the bodies of the slain robbers were taken to the state police headquarters in Owerri, the state capital, the Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, a Superintendent of Police, said: “In the early hours of Wednesday, the operatives of federal Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Imo state police command received a distress call that armed robbers were operating at Ezi-Ogbaku in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.

“The team encountered the armed robbers numbering five who opened fire on the policemen. The officers responded which led to the death of two of the hoodlums while three fled with gunshot injuries.”

Enwerem, who explained that the identities of the slain robbers had yet to be ascertained, said that the state commissioner of police, Chris Ezike, had directed heads of tactical Unit of the command to apprehend the fleeing criminals.

One locally made double barrelled gun, two expended cartridges and two live cartridges were recovered from the robbers.