Two criminals, wanted in a number of heinous crime cases, were shot dead in an encounter with police on Monday.A police official told The Express Tribune that the police received information that some outlaws were snatching a motorcycle on Basirpur Road near Chak Shahmand.He said acting on the tip the police set a picket on the road and signalled three motorcycle riders to stop. However, the outlaws accelerated and opened fire on the policemen. He maintained the police chased the fleeing suspects and a shoot-out occurred. During the crossfire, two outlaws were killed, while one of their accomplices managed to escape the scene under the cover of fire.The deceased outlaws were identified as Tanveer alias Tanni and Shoukat alias Shouki. The police official added that both criminals were wanted in a number of murder and robbery cases by the district police.The police also seized the snatched motorcycle and weapons from the custody of the outlaws. The bodies of the culprits were shifted to District Headquarter Hospital for legal formalities.Meanwhile, the Dipalpur City police nabbed 14 suspects during a search operation and confiscated weapons from their possession. The police said six culprits were of Category A while further investigation was under way.Earlier on September 26, two notorious bandits were killed in an encounter with police in Jahangirabad area of Multan.The two bandits, identified as Abbas Siyal and Azam Khokhar, were under police custody. A police team was taking them to Jahangirabad area for recovery of looted valuables and motorcycles. In the meantime, unidentified accomplices of the accused opened fire on the police team to get their fellows released.The police retaliated and during the shoot-out, both the bandits were killed while their accomplices managed to escape. The accused were wanted in more than 50 cases of robberies, snatchings and other crimes.Published in The Express Tribune, October 31, 2017.