Tamil Nadu Cop Clings To Speeding SUV Roof For 40 Km During Dramatic Chase To Nab Gutkha Smugglers

Chennai: In a daring act, a 38-year-old head constable clung to the roof rails of a speeding SUV for more than 40 km as police pursued three suspected smugglers carrying about 230 kg of banned gutkha in a dramatic early-morning chase that stretched from Coimbatore district into Tiruppur on Sunday.

Driver Accelerates After Police Interception

M Velmurugan of the Kovilpalayam police station ended up on the roof of the vehicle after its driver suddenly accelerated away from a police interception at Kaikolapalayam. He held on as the SUV travelled through some of Coimbatore’s busiest stretches and, at times, crossed speeds of 100 kmph, on the Salem-Kochi Highway.

The chase finally came to an end near Mangalam junction in Tiruppur district, where police teams managed to block the SUV. The three occupants abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot but were caught after a pursuit.

Police Teams Coordinate To Stop Vehicle

The arrested men were identified as Babu Dhara, 27, Rajesh, 23, and Suresh, 20. Police said two of them sustained fractures to their upper limbs during the escape attempt. The SUV was found to contain approximately 230 kg of gutkha.

The pursuit began when police tried to stop the SUV at Kaikolapalayam around 5.45 a.m. The action followed specific intelligence about the movement of a consignment of banned tobacco products from Bengaluru towards Coimbatore.

A team led by Neelambur Inspector Thiyagarajan had earlier spotted the white SUV, bearing a Karnataka registration number, at Vellanaipatti. The information was passed to the Kovilpalayam station, following which Sub-Inspector Vignesh and Velmurugan moved to intercept it.

Vignesh was speaking to the occupants through an open window when the driver suddenly raised the glass, trapping the officer's hand. The SUV was then reversed in an attempt to break through the interception.

Velmurugan, who had been holding the vehicle’s roof, climbed onto it as it began moving. He grabbed the roof rails and remained there as the driver accelerated away.

Concerned about the head constable’s safety, police alerted the National Highways Authority of India. An ambulance was sent to accompany the pursuit, and its crew recorded footage of Velmurugan clinging to the roof of the moving SUV.

Police also alerted the Kaniyur toll plaza in an effort to stop the vehicle. The SUV, however, passed through after its FASTag triggered the opening of the boom barrier.

The pursuit ended only after police coordinated with the Avinashi police and intercepted the SUV near Mangalam junction. The three men then ran from the vehicle but were chased and arrested.

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