COIMBATORE: It looked like a scene straight out of a Kollywood thriller — a gang of smugglers, a getaway car, and a determined police officer putting his life on the line by clinging onto the roof of the gang’s vehicle for 30km to nab the suspects.
The drama unfolded on the Kochi-Salem National Highway when head constable M Velmurugan of Kovilpalayam police station in Coimbatore attempted to arrest a gutkha smuggling gang from Karnataka. The chase ended with the seizure of 170 kg of banned tobacco products and two of the suspects suffering hand fractures while trying to escape, according to police.
The incident occurred on Sunday between 5.45 am and 6.30 am when a police team of sub-inspector V Vignesh and Velmurugan was conducting a vehicle check between Vilankurichi and Kalappatti.
When the officers attempted to check a Karnataka-registered car coming from Bengaluru, the occupants initially refused to stop, but slowed down later. Noticing bundles in the rear, SI Vignesh attempted to search the car, but the occupants allegedly pushed the policemen, shut the doors, and sped away.
“As we tried to intercept the vehicle, the driver suddenly accelerated, trapping my hand in the door handle. Determined not to let them escape, I grabbed the roof rails and hauled myself onto the top of the car,” Velmurugan told TNIE.
Endangering the life of the policeman clinging to the roof of the car, the smugglers drove at high speed towards Avinashi via Vilankurichi, Kalappatti Four Roads and Coimbatore Airport junction, towards Kaniyur Toll Plaza.
Two smugglers sustain fracture; vehicle seized
They (the smugglers) crossed the toll plaza through the emergency lane and continued, even as other police personnel continued to chase them in another vehicle, Velmurugan added.
Motorists, who saw the head constable in plainclothes hanging dangerously onto the roof of the car, recorded videos. The clips later went viral.
On receiving information, Karumathampatti police, along with ambulance drivers from the surrounding areas, joined the chase. Avinashi police were also alerted, and they too joined the hot pursuit.
The nearly 30-km chase ended at Thekkalur near Avinashi, on the Tiruppur district border, when police and ambulance vehicles surrounded the car, and the gang gave up. Though two of the occupants tried to flee, Avinashi police caught them after a search. The arrested were identified as P Babu Dhara (27) of Chansur, Rajasthan; A Rajesh (23) of Gundamanali, Marmeer, Rajasthan; and S Suresh (20) from Jalor, Rajasthan.
Police said they had smuggled around 170 kg of banned gutkha and tobacco products from Bangalore in the car to be handed over to their accomplices in Coimbatore. The gutkha products and the car were seized. The trio was taken to Kovilpalayam police station for inquiry. Two of the accused suffered fractures to their arms while attempting to flee, police sources added.
Meanwhile, the brave act of Velmurugan and the ambulance drivers and volunteers, who helped the police nab the smugglers, has earned appreciation from the public. Top police officials and ministers K Vignesh and V Sampathkumar lauded the constable over the phone for his courageous act.