Lucknow, Sep 1 (IANS): A chase for two chain snatchers by the police in Rae Bareli turned awry Friday night when a youth was shot dead in a shootout, police said Saturday.

The incident happened when a team of Special Operations Group (SOG) was pursuing two chain snatchers in Lodhipur Uttrawan village. Rae Bareli is 77 km from here.

When the duo abandoned their vehicle on a roadside and escaped in the fields, the police opened fire in which a 22-year-old youth, Dharmendra, was killed.

Angry villagers vented their ire on a policeman and thrashed him. The condition of the cop is serious and has been admitted to the trauma centre here.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Love Kumar has suspended SOG in-charge O.P. Chauhan and police constable Chote Lal.

A case has been registered against the two policemen in the Lalganj police station, the SP told IANS.

Rae Bareli is the parliamentary constituency of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.