PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti (CMC)— At least seven suspected kidnappers were shot and killed during an exchange of gunfire with members of the Haitian National Police (PNH) after they abducted a 60-year-old man on Monday.

The authorities said that the members of the PNH’s Intervention Corps for Maintenance of Order (CIMO) were able to foil the kidnapping when they encountered the abductors and engaged in a shootout.

PNH spokesman, Divisional Inspector Gary Desrosiers, said that seven of the kidnappers were killed. He also reported that two of the kidnappers were dressed in the uniforms of the CIMO.

The PNH said the 60-year-old resident had been abducted while leaving his home. He was later released by the police.

The police said they have since seized two vehicles and several firearms.

“What happened …is a signal showing the capacity of the police to track down bandits and guarantee the safety of the population,” said Lionel Lazarre, coordinator of the National Union of Haitian Police Officers (SYNAPOHA).

The United Nations Expert on Human Rights in Haiti, William O’Neill, ended a visit to Haiti last week expressing alarm at the “worrying” situation in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

“Murders, injuries and kidnappings are the daily prerogative of the population. Sexual violence against women and girls remains endemic and no progress regarding access to services and justice for survivors has been recorded since my last visit,” he told a news conference.