AHMEDABAD: A 50-year-old policeman was killed early Tuesday while attempting to intercept an SUV suspected of bootlegging in Gujarat's Surendranagar district. The incident took place around 2:30 a.m. near Kathada village on the Dasada-Patdi road, according to police officials.
PSI Jahid Khan Munsafkhan Pathan, 50, of the State Monitoring Cell (The State Monitoring Cell is a branch of the Gujarat Police, SMC), received a tip that a liquor-laden vehicle would be passing through. Around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, he and his team set up a blockade on the Dasada-Patdi road near Kathada village. When the suspect vehicle passed, Pathan and his team pursued it, but their police car collided heavily with the rear of a trailer, leading to a serious accident.
PSI Jahid Khan Munsafkhan Pathan, was declared dead after being taken first to Dasada for first aid and then to Viramgam Government Hospital. Two other officers, Dineshbhai Rawat and Krishnadevsinh Jadeja, were injured in the incident.
A complaint has been lodged at Dasada Police Station, officials confirmed. "PSI Javed Pathan had been with the State Monitoring Cell for the past eight months," said SMC Inspector-General of Police (IG) Nirlipt Rai. "Last night, he received a tip-off that a vehicle in Surendranagar district was carrying illicit foreign-made liquor. Acting on this information, PSI Pathan, his team, and four legal witnesses moved to the spot."
To secure the area, "the team was divided into two groups," Rai continued. "One conducted reconnaissance, while the other set up a roadblock to check vehicles and prevent any escape. As the suspect vehicle arrived, At that time, PSI Pathan's car collided with a trailer during the operation, tragically leading to his death."
“A complaint has been filed at Dasada Police Station in Surendranagar district, and the Surendranagar Police will handle the investigation,” said IG Nirlipt Rai. “The probe is currently focused on the trailer and the alcohol-laden car involved in the incident.”
This wasn’t the first incident; back in January, a policeman was killed and his colleague injured when their PCR van was struck by a car smuggling country-made liquor during a chase in Ahmedabad district. Two bootleggers in the car abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene that night.