By IANS,

Hapur (Uttar Pradesh) : Two robbers were shot dead in a gun battle with the police here before dawn Saturday when they were about to escape with money and valuables looted from a house.

They were killed at 3.00 a.m. when the police cornered the criminals in a house at Mazidpura area of Ghaziabad district.

According to the police, four robbers scaled the wall of the house, held the family members hostage at gun point, tied their hands and took out all the valuables including cash and gold ornaments.

As they were about to escape, a resident alerted the police. Policemen ordered the robbers to surrender. Instead, the men opened fire, triggering a brief gun battle.

Two police constables were injured in the firing. Inspector General Gurdarshan Singh announced a reward of Rs.10,000 to the police team that took part in the operation.