QUETTA: Two policemen were martyred and a senior officer was injured during a heavy exchange of fire with a gang of dacoits in Dalbandin area of Chagai district on Thursday.

One dacoit was also killed and another arrested during the police action.

Officials said that the area police had received information about the presenceofdacoitsinahouse.

A police team, headed by DSP Abid Sherazi, cordoned off the area and launched an operation against the dacoits. Seeing the police, the dacoits opened fire on personnel.

During the heavy exchange of fire, three police personnel were injured while a dacoit was killed and another was arrested.

Police shifted the inju-red police personnel, including DSP Abid Sherazi, to district hospital. Two police personnel identified as Baloch and Safeer died.

They had suffered multiple bullet injuries during the exchange of nre with dacoits.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Dalbandin, Abid Sherazi, was admitted to hospital. The body of the suspected dacoit was shifted to a hospital while the other suspect, arrested duringthe operation, was handed over to police.

`Both dacoits were involved in highway robberies and they were wanted by police in several such cases,` a senior police officer said, adding that further investigation is under way.

He said that police are continuing the search operation in the area.