Police in Karachi’s Korangi area ended a hostage standoff by neutralising and killing two robbers who held a man and a woman at gunpoint for hours early morning on Wednesday.

Both hostages remained unhurt and were removed from the scene by the police. Their whereabouts are not known and it is not clear if they were offered trauma counselling.

People who gathered at the spot risking their own lives cheered for the police.

A video went viral Wednesday morning showing the robber holding a woman and a man at the door of a laboratory at gunpoint as two policemen stood nearby and tried to negotiate with them.

Two other videos recorded at the same spot showed the robber lying dead on the pavement and a crowd cheering for the police.

Superintendent of Police Korangi Tariq Nawaz said that a police party patrolling the area arrived at the scene and engaged the robbers near the Dow Laboratory at Awami Colony of Korangi No. 5.

A policeman, Muhammad Bakhsh was hurt during the standoff as the robbers opened fire at the police in an attempt to flee the scene, he added.

Most of the policemen who responded to the situation were wearing bulletproof vests, police sources said.

The police killed the robbers, later identified as Abdullah and Shah Alam, in the exchange of fire, said Nawaz.

Videos available with Aaj News show a policeman negotiating with a robber who was holding the woman at gunpoint. His accomplice was seen standing at the entrance of the laboratory while pointing a gun at the man he took hostage.

SP Tariq said that the police recovered two pistols, cash, snatched mobile phones, and a motorcycle from the robbers.