RANCHI: A day after Deputy Superintendent of Police Surendra Singh was run over by a truck on Tuesday while probing illegal stone mining in Nuh in Haryana, a female sub-inspector Sandhya Topno was mowed down to death during a vehicle checking drive in Jharkhand’s Ranchi on Wednesday. The female sub-inspector, Sandhya Topno, was trampled to death by the pickup van, suspected to be carrying smuggled cattle in it.
SI Sandhya Topno was part of the police team running a vehicle checking drive, early in the morning on Wednesday. Though the suspected animal smugglers managed to escape, the driver of the pick-up van has been arrested and the vehicle has been taken into custody.
BJP has held the ruling alliance responsible for the incident saying that the rampant cattle smuggling is being done under the protection of the state government.
“There has been a considerable rise in cattle smuggling in Jharkhand since Hemant Soren government has come into power. Cattle smuggling is being done under the protection of the ruling alliance due to which, the law and order situation has crumbled and this incident is just an example of the state heading towards
jungle raj,” said State BJP chief Deepak Prakash.
According to sources, Simdega Police received a tip-off about the cattle being smuggled in a pickup vehicle following which a police team started chasing the pickup van. When the driver started speeding the vehicle, the matter was reported to Kamdara police station, which put up a barrier but the driver broke it
and ran away. The van also ran past the barrier installed by the Torpa Police and evaded the Khunti Police as well.
The Ranchi Police was then informed, and it activated checking of vehicles at the Khunti-Ranchi border. When a pickup van was seen approaching, SI Sandhya Topna tried to stop it, but the driver mowed her down to death and managed to escape. Later while running away, the speeding pick-up van overturned and the smugglers jumped out of the car and fled. The driver, who got injured, was caught by the police and taken into custody.
The accused who managed to flee the spot after killing the cop was later arrested by the police with the help of CCTV footage and the vehicle was also seized. “A female sub-inspector named Sandhya Topno was mowed down to death during a vehicle check, last night. She was posted as in charge of Tupudana OP. The accused has been arrested and a vehicle has been seized", said Ranchi SSP Kaushal Kumar.
Many animals have also been injured, he added.