Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police on Tuesday shot dead four Indonesian men believed to be part of a violent gang responsible for more than 15 robberies, officials said.

The four suspects, aged between 22 and 39, were killed following a high-speed car chase in the capital Kuala Lumpur early Tuesday, a police officer confirmed.

The men had tried to escape the police but their vehicle skidded and stopped at a cement factory, where they rushed out and attempted to attack officers with machetes and a scythe, said central Selangor state police chief Khalid Abu Bakar.

Police then opened fire and killed all four men, he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Khalid said police had been monitoring the activities of the gang since June, adding that the suspects had been responsible for a spate of robberies. (dpa)