ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: Three young men fleeing with a stolen car paid for their crime within hours of committing it on Sunday - two with their lives, while the third one was struggling for life in a hospital, police said.

Three policemen, whose presence at Rawal Chowk had scared and confused the thieves to crash into them, were badly injured in the weird incident.

Police said the three - deceased Hammad Mehmood and Tauseef Iqbal and the critically injured Mohammad Tasadduq - had stolen the Mitsubishi Lancer car from Murree and driving it towards Rawalpindi.

The sight of a police van parked at Rawal Chowk roundabout with its blue-red light revolving and several policemen standing behind a truck was believed to have scared the car thieves who could not take the turn at high speed and crashed into the two vehicles after hitting three policemen.

As a result, the two car riders died on the spot, while their companion suffered multiple injuries, along with the policemen - constable Sarzamin, constable Mukhtar and inspector Bashir Ahmad.

Later the bodies and the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital. The condition of Tasadduq and constable Sarzamin is stated to be critical, while the other police personnel are said to be in stable condition.