Coimbatore constable rides SUV roof for 40 km to stop gutkha smugglers
A Coimbatore head constable held onto an SUV's roof rails for over 40 km as three men from Rajasthan fled with about 230 kg of gutkha; all three were later arrested in Tiruppur district.
A head constable in Coimbatore clung to the roof rails of a moving SUV for more than 40 km as three men from Rajasthan tried to escape with banned tobacco products, police said.
M. Velmurugan, 38, attached to the Kovilpalayam police station, was part of a team acting on specific information about gutkha being smuggled from Bengaluru to Coimbatore. The team, led by Neelambur Inspector P. Thiyagarajan, spotted a white SUV with a Karnataka registration number at Vellanaipatti.
Thiyagarajan alerted the Kovilpalayam station, and Sub-Inspector V. Vignesh and Velmurugan intercepted the vehicle at Kaikolapalayam around 5.45 a.m. While Vignesh spoke to the occupants through an open window, the driver raised the glass, trapping one of the officer's hands, and reversed the SUV to flee.
Velmurugan, who had been holding the roof with his other hand, climbed on top and grabbed the rails. He banged on the roof, prompting the driver to release the sub-inspector's hand and speed away with the constable still aboard.
The SUV tore through Kalapatti, Nehru Nagar junction and the airport junction before joining Avinashi Road and heading towards Tiruppur on the busy Salem-Kochi Highway, frequently crossing 100 kmph. Vignesh gave chase in a private car, while Thiyagarajan and his team followed in a police vehicle.
District Superintendent of Police A. Pavan Kumar Reddy said the police alerted the National Highways Authority of India, which deployed an ambulance to ensure the constable's safety. The crew of that ambulance filmed the officer on the moving SUV. Although the Kaniyur toll gate was alerted, the vehicle slipped through because the boom barrier opened via FASTag.
The SUV was finally blocked with help from the Avinashi police near Mangalam junction in Tiruppur district. The three suspects — Babu Dhara, 27, A. Rajesh, 23, and S. Suresh, 20 — jumped out and ran, but were chased down and arrested, said Karikal Pari Shankar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karumathampatti Sub-Division. Two of them suffered fractures to their upper limbs during the escape attempt.
"I got atop the SUV in an attempt to stop them. But they sped away. I clung onto the rails, determined not to give up," Velmurugan said.
About 230 kg of gutkha was recovered from the vehicle. The constable's action drew praise from Tamil Nadu ministers, senior police officers and social media users.