Guwahati: Two suspected vehicle thieves were killed in police firing after a chase in Sonapur early on Thursday, police said.The deceased were identified as Babu Singh of Imphal, Manipur, and Saidul Alom Laskar of Assam’s Cachar district. Police recovered two pistols and live ammunition from the spot.A senior police officer said the Panbazar police station OC received information around 2.30 am that a commercial vehicle was stolen from Fancy Bazar.The information was shared with Dispur police, who learnt that the vehicle was heading towards Digaru via Panikhaiti and was likely to enter Meghalaya through the 14 Mile–Barkhat Road. Panbazar police chased the vehicle towards Sonapur–Digaru, while teams from Dispur and Sonapur police stations positioned themselves at Marakdola.“Regarding the theft of the vehicle from the Fancy Bazar area, the information was shared with the Dispur police station. Accordingly, the vehicle was intercepted at about 3:30 am at Marakdola. Despite being signalled to stop, it jumped the naka and rammed into a concrete pillar,” the officer added.“Three occupants then emerged from the vehicle and opened fire at the police team. Police personnel took cover and, in self-defence, resorted to controlled retaliatory firing. After the exchange of fire, two persons were found injured near the vehicle. Two pistols with live ammunition were recovered from the spot,” the officer said.The third accused escaped into thick vegetation in the darkness. The injured men were taken to Sonapur District Hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead.
