Two suspected gangsters were on Tuesday shot dead by police in Nyeri Town.

The two were cornered on an earth road off the Nyeri-Karatina road. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found near the passenger side of a saloon car they had hired.

Police said a third suspect escaped with bullet wounds.

The driver of the taxi that operates in Nyeri Town also escaped unhurt. He surrendered himself to the police and has been assisting them with investigations.

Nyeri police boss Kirunya Limbitu said an AK-47 rifle and 26 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the suspects.

However, there was no evidence that the suspects challenged the police in a gunfight, raising questions whether this was yet another case of police executions.

This follows last month's killing of two suspected gangsters in cold blood by police on Nairobi's Langata road.

Mr Limbitu said the gangsters were shot after their car stalled.

"They were trying to get to the highway and escape, but when their car stalled, one of them got out of the car holding an AK-47 rifle ready to shoot and that is when our officers fired," he said.

Detectives had been trailing the gangsters for several hours on learning that they had arrived in the area ready to carry out a series of robberies.

Abandoned their plan

The suspects seemed to know that they were being trailed and even abandoned their plan to rob a petrol station.

According to the police, they instead targeted matatus ferrying second-hand clothes dealers to Nairobi to pick their merchandise.

But on sensing that they had been cornered, the gangsters sped on the Nyeri-Karatina road and branched off on a rough road to try and shake off the pursuing police vehicle.

It was while they were trying to drive back to the tarmac that detectives shot them dead. (Nation )