SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — The St Elizabeth police say two men who were shot dead during a police operation yesterday morning were believed to be part of a gang involved in robberies and break-ins in the Santa Cruz area.

A senior police source said that while the two had not been “officially” identified up to late yesterday, a member of the public had pointed to one of the deceased as someone who robbed him in Santa Cruz on Saturday morning.

The source said preliminary investigations had suggested that one of the men originated from Clarendon while the other was from the district of Holt, a mile west of the Santa Cruz town centre.

Police say that acting on information they went to a secluded, wooded area in Burnt Ground district, just south of Santa Cruz. On their approach to an improvised hut, they were fired on by a group of men.

The police said they returned the fire and when the shooting subsided, the two men were found suffering from gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at hospital.

A .38 revolver and a home-made shot gun were found at the scene, the police say.