Six suspected armed robbers were shot dead in gun exchange with police in Dodoma yesterday.

Dodoma regional police commander Zelothe Stephen, told this newspaper yesterday that the suspected robbers were shot dead after refused arrest.

The shootout occurred at a village located about 27km from Dodoma town, after the police caught up with the robbers who were escaping in a hired taxi.

Our reporter who saw bodies at Dodoma regional hospital mortuary, showed that five of the suspected robbers were shot in the head, while the sixth suspect was shot on the neck. During the incident, police also recovered a shotgun, two magazine and 96 rounds of ammunition.

Other recovered items included two machetes, two iron bars, a torch, two masks, three mobile phone handsets and a bunch of 19 keys.

The six robbers attempted to escape from a police patrol unit using a Toyota Corolla. The vehicle was operating as a taxi in Dodoma municipality and one of those killed has been identified as the driver of the taxi.

Explaining the incident, commander Zelothe said police started to follow up the thugs at around 10.45pm on Thursday at Makole area within the municipality.

He said police suspected the group after noting that plate numbers of the vehicle in which they were driving were concealed.

After realising that police were tracking them, the group sped away along the Dodoma-Dar es Salaam highway towards Hombolo, Chamwino District.

"The robbers begun shooting at the police who responded," commander Zelothe said in a statement. "Police sealed all possible escaping routes and managed to round-up the robbers at Ipala village about 27 kilometres from the municipality," he added.

Police have not issued any statement on what was the target of the robbers, but unconfirmed reports said that they were about to raid a wine producing factories in Dodoma.

Hundreds of Dodoma municipal residents yesterday flocked to the regional hospital mortuary to identify the deceased. However, non of the thugs was identified.

Yesterday's incidents came just three months after six people, also suspected to be armed robbers, were killed by an angry mob in Miganga village, Chamwino District.