Seven armed men stole up to 1.69 million pesos (US $88,000) in social welfare funds in Hidalgo yesterday as the intended recipients looked on.

The cash was about to be delivered to senior citizens in Zempoala but instead the thieves took off with the money in an incident that left two people dead and two wounded.

The incident took place around 9:30am in the municipal auditorium, where government officials were preparing to deliver 2,550 pesos (US $133) to each of 750 beneficiaries of the 60-and-over federal welfare program.

The thieves entered the building after shooting a police officer guarding the entrance, and went for the cash. About 200 senior citizens watched as a second guard confronted the criminals, shooting and killing one of them. The others fled with the money.

Police gave chase and forced the thieves to abandon their vehicle on the Pachuca-Sahagún highway, where they attempted to flee on foot to San Agustín Zapotlán.

A police car overturned before a second clash, killing one police officer and wounding a second.

The Public Security Secretariat later confirmed that the remaining six thieves had been arrested, and that their loot had been recovered.

Source: El Universal (sp),  SDP Noticias (sp)