PESHAWAR, Feb 22: Three hardened criminals were killed, while two of their accomplices escaped during an encounter with police late on Tuesday night, city police chief claimed here on Wednesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Police Headquarters here, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Habibur Rehman said the outlaws were wanted by local police in several cases of heinous crimes, including the killing of a police official last month.

Members of the Pishtakhara police mobile team saw a group of armed men near the main Pishtakhara intersection at 11pm on Tuesday, who were planning to commit a robbery, the CCPO said.

The five men, whom the police said were members of a highway robbers’ gang, opened indiscriminate fire after they saw the police mobile team. The police retaliated and three of them were killed on the spot.

Two of their accomplices escaped by taking advantage of the darkness, Mr Habibur Rehman said.

Those killed were identified as Akhtar Gul alias Akhtaray and Wahid. The third robber could not be identified, said the city police chief.

The police also recovered three Kalashnikovs, nine magazines and 110 bullets from the deceased’s possession.

The CCPO said that Akhtar Gul had threatened two months ago the police of attacks if they attempted to raid his house in the Pahari Pura area.

Later, they injured a police constable, Sarir Khan, on Jan 6 in an attack and the next day ASI Younus Khan was shot dead.

Mr Habibur Rehman said that the group was wanted by the police in several cases of robbery, murder, attempts to murder, car-lifting and other crimes.

The CCPO said that search for the other two robbers was under way.