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For nearly 30 km, a head constable clung to the roof rails of a speeding SUV as police chased its occupants, who were allegedly trying to flee with around 170 kg of gutka and other banned tobacco products in Coimbatore on Sunday, September 27. The chase ended near Thekkalur on the Tiruppur district border, where police arrested three men and seized the contraband.
The incident began around 5.45 am when a team from Kovilpalayam police station, led by Sub Inspector V Vignesh and Head Constable M Velmurugan, was checking vehicles between Vilankurichi and Kalappati. The officers attempted to stop a Karnataka-registered SUV suspected to be carrying gutka.
According to the police, the occupants initially refused to stop but slowed down later. When the officers noticed bundles inside the vehicle, Vignesh attempted to search it. The occupants allegedly pushed the policemen, shut the doors, and accelerated towards Avinashi.
Velmurugan reportedly told The New Indian Express that the driver suddenly accelerated while the police were trying to stop the vehicle, trapping his hand in the door. Fearing that the suspects would escape, he grabbed the roof rails and pulled himself onto the top of the SUV.
The SUV continued at high speed through Vilankurichi, Kalappatti Four Roads, and Coimbatore Airport Junction, heading towards Kaniyur Toll Plaza. Velmurugan remained on the roof as the occupants allegedly attempted to evade the police.
The SUV crossed the toll plaza through the emergency lane and continued towards Avinashi. Police personnel in another vehicle followed the SUV, while information about the chase was passed to Karumathampatti police and Highway patrol teams on Avinashi Road.
They, along with ambulance drivers and volunteers from the surrounding areas, joined the chase. Avinashi police were also alerted and began looking for the vehicle.
Motorists who saw the constable clinging to the roof recorded videos of the incident. The clips were later circulated on social media.
The pursuit ended near Thekkalur, close to the Tiruppur district border, after police and ambulance vehicles surrounded the SUV and the occupants gave up.
Two of the men attempted to flee but were caught by Avinashi police shortly afterwards. They suffered fractures to their arms while attempting to flee, police said.
The arrested men were identified as P Babu Dhara (27) from Chansur in Rajasthan, A Rajesh (23) from Gundamanali in Rajasthan, and S Suresh (20) from Jalore in Rajasthan.
Police said the trio had brought around 170 kg of gutka and other banned tobacco products from Bengaluru in the SUV and were transporting them to Coimbatore to hand them over to accomplices. The contraband and vehicle were seized, and the three men were taken to Kovilpalayam police station for inquiry.
Top officials and Ministers K Vignesh and V Sampathkumar also spoke to Velmurugan over the phone and praised him for his courage.
In a separate interaction, Velmurugan told Times of India that he had climbed onto the SUV after the driver trapped the sub-inspector Vignesh's hand in the window. He said Vignesh ran alongside the vehicle for a few metres before falling on the road without sustaining injuries.
“I realised the suspects should not be allowed to escape, so I held on to the rails tightly till they were captured. As police personnel, we were just doing our duty,” Velmurugan said.
