It was like a scene straight out of an action movie! A policeman clung to the roof of a moving vehicle for 40 kilometers to stop a vehicle smuggling banned gutkha. This breathtaking incident took place in the early hours of Sunday on the busy highway connecting Coimbatore and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. Following this daring operation, where he risked his life on the road, police managed to apprehend three interstate gutkha smugglers and seized a large quantity of banned substances.
The police had received a tip-off about banned tobacco products being transported from Bengaluru towards Coimbatore. Around 5:45 AM in the Kaikolapalayam area, Sub-Inspector V. Vignesh and Head Constable M. Velmurugan signaled a white SUV with Karnataka registration to stop. After the vehicle pulled over, as Officer Vignesh tried to question the driver through the window, the driver suddenly rolled up the glass, trapping the officer’s hand, and attempted to flee by reversing the vehicle.
Seeing his colleague in danger, 38-year-old Head Constable Velmurugan wasted no time and jumped onto the roof of the vehicle, gripping the railings tightly. Instead of stopping to release the officer’s hand, the driver sped away even faster.
The vehicle raced towards Tirupur via Kalapatti, Nehru Nagar, and the airport-connected Salem-Kochi highway at speeds exceeding 100 km/h. Despite the terrifying speed, the constable did not let go of the railings and held on with immense courage. Meanwhile, a police vehicle and an NHAI ambulance chased the speeding SUV from behind. The vehicle managed to escape through the Kaniyur toll gate as the barrier opened via FASTag.
Finally, the police managed to intercept the vehicle near Mangalam Junction in Tirupur district. As they tried to abandon the vehicle and flee, the police arrested three accused—Babu Dhara, A. Rajesh, and S. Suresh, all residents of Rajasthan.
Police confirmed that approximately 300 kg of banned gutkha and tobacco products were seized from the vehicle. The unprecedented dedication and courage of Head Constable Velmurugan, who risked his life by hanging onto a moving vehicle to perform his duty, has been widely praised by the public and departmental authorities.
