The fight against organized crime resulted in another deadly shootout in Mahajanga. During the night of July 27, around midnight, two individuals identified as armed bandits were fatally wounded during a National Police intervention in Lalanomby, in the Tsararano Ambony district. According to information from the National Police, members of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR), acting on reliable intelligence, learned that an armed group was planning to attack and rob worshippers returning from a religious service. Plainclothes officers were deployed to intercept the suspects. During the stop, the individuals allegedly refused to comply before drawing a handgun and knife, triggering an exchange of fire with law enforcement. Two of them were fatally shot. A handgun, a large knife, and several sachets containing hard drugs known locally as "rorô" were seized at the scene, according to police. The Toamasina Precedent This operation comes just days after a similar confrontation in Antandava Pont fotsy, Toamasina. Alerted by information about a suspicious individual, members of the CRFIP Atsinanana launched a search before locating him. According to police authorities, the suspect allegedly violently resisted during his arrest and attempted to seize a police officer's weapon. Law enforcement then used their service weapons. Seriously wounded, the individual succumbed to his injuries. The National Police described him as a repeat offender suspected of involvement in several armed robberies committed in Toamasina and surrounding areas. He was also mentioned in investigations into the murder of a law enforcement officer and the attack on a money transfer point in Moramanga. Investigations continue to locate other suspected group members who fled. Through these two successive operations, the National Police reaffirm their determination to intensify the fight against organized crime and armed attacks while pursuing searches for accomplices still at large.