A shotgun stolen two years ago from a suburb on the western side of Cork City was discarded by raiders as they fled from armed gardaí who lay in wait for them as they attempted to rob a businessman.

A gang captured while attempting an armed robbery on a businessman’s home may have targeted him two years ago — but abandoned the plan when it was rumbled by gardaí.

The hunters became the hunted as scenes akin to a Hollywood cops and robbers blockbuster unfolded in a quiet, middle-class rural community.