A trio of armed suspects opened fire on three police officers yesterday in Kandal province’s Takhmao town, seriously injuring two.

Kandal provincial police chief Eav Chamroeun told the Post yesterday that his force was “eagerly investigating” the case in order to detain the armed men.

“We hope that we will be able to arrest them,” he said.

The provincial police chief explained that the three cops – Chhum Bunthoeun, Siem Poch and Thuk Ravy – had stopped the suspects for driving in the wrong direction on National Road 2.

Unbeknownst to the of­ficers, the three men had just stolen the motorbike they were on from a woman at a nearby market.

When the officers tried to stop the men, the suspects opened fire, shooting one officer in the leg and another in the stomach. The three armed men escaped on foot, Eav Chamroeun said.

The three police officers were receiving treatment for their injuries at hospital in Phnom Penh yesterday.