Smuggler escapes police custody with SHO’s car, nabbed after night-long chase
Authorities intensified their search with the help of local villagers and the police also circulated Gurjant’s photograph on social media.
A smuggler who had escaped police custody by stealing the station in-charge’s car was finally recaptured after an overnight chase on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The accused, initially caught by villagers and handed over to the police, managed to flee while being taken into custody, leading to a large-scale manhunt involving personnel from three police stations.
On Tuesday night, acting on intelligence from IG Omprakash Paswan’s special team, Kalu police set up a checkpoint on the Bharat Mala Road to inspect vehicles. Late at night, they stopped a car coming from Punjab. Two occupants of the car fled leaving the vehicle behind and upon inspection, the police discovered 150 kg of doda post (poppy husk) inside.
By Wednesday morning, locals from nearby villages managed to capture one of the fugitives, identified as Gurjant, and handed him over to the police. The investigation of the case was assigned to Mahajan police station in-charge Kashyap Singh Raghav. While the accused was being taken to the concerned police station in Mahajan’s official vehicle, the officer made a stop when Gurjant exclaimed that his accomplices were sitting on the roadside.
As the two accompanying constables and the officer got out to apprehend the alleged accomplices, Gurjant, who was still handcuffed, quickly jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away.
Immediately, Lunkaransar and Kalu stations launched an extensive search operation. Fortunately for the police, the car’s tires burst as the smuggler drove recklessly. Abandoning the vehicle near Peempera village, he fled into the nearby mustard fields.
Authorities intensified their search with the help of local villagers and the police also circulated Gurjant’s photograph on social media.
“After a relentless overnight hunt, the police successfully apprehended Gurjant on Thursday morning in Mahajan police station area. He is currently being interrogated, and police are continuing efforts to track down his accomplices,” ASP (Rural) Kailash Singh Sandu told HT.
