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Chandigarh: Cop who was fired upon by drug smuggler booked for extortion, snatching
Assailant following his arrest alleged the cop had snatched his gold chain and drugs after stopping him at the naka, also extorted money from him a week before the shooting incident
In a surprising turn of events, the Chandigarh Police senior constable, who had a narrow escape after a drug smuggler fired shots at him at a police naka in Sector 38 on January 23, has now been booked for snatching, extortion and colluding with drug peddlers.
Along with senior constable Pradeep, constable Surinder, who is stationed at the Sector 38 beat box with him, is also facing similar charges in connection with the incident.
On January 23, Pradeep and his colleague, constable Deep Kumar of the District Crime Cell, were on duty at a check post in Sector 38, where a Maruti Suzuki Fronx car approached them at high speed.
When Pradeep signalled the vehicle to stop, the driver, identified as Deepak Verma, attempted to run him over. Verma then exited the car, brandishing pistols and launching a verbal assault on the officers.
According to the official statement from Chandigarh Police issued on January 27, the situation escalated quickly when the assailant opened fire on the officers with the intent to kill. In response, constable Deep Kumar fired shots in the air to defend himself and his colleague. The assailant and his accomplice then fled the scene, threatening to kill the officers.
Cop sought ‘favour’ at naka, claims shooter
Investigation into the firing incident took a new turn on Monday night when the District Crime Cell, after apprehending Deepak Verma, interrogated him during his police remand.
Verma revealed that on the day of the incident, when he was stopped at the barricade and fired at the police, constable Pradeep allegedly tried to engage in an argument with him.
Verma claimed that he was familiar with the officer and had previously interacted with him. According to Verma, he requested Pradeep to let him go, but the constable insisted on “receiving a favour”.
Verma further alleged that Pradeep then snatched his gold chain and drugs, prompting him to retaliate by firing at the officer. Verma and his accomplice, Rishab Sharma, fled the scene shortly after the altercation.
Verma also claimed that Pradeep and Surinder had extorted money from him twice in lieu of letting him operate unscathed, a week before the January 23 shooting incident. He contended that during the January 23 shooting, when Pradeep attempted to remove him from the car, he feared the policemen would extort money again.
The location of the firing incident is near the residence of 64-year-old Bala, known in local drug peddling circles as “drug queen”, who is currently in jail in connection with another NDPS case.
After the incident, police teams were seen patrolling the area, both in uniform and in plain clothes, with a particular focus on Bala’s house. They thoroughly checked both the front and rear entrances of the house, which is equipped with CCTV cameras. Additionally, several other houses in the colony also have surveillance cameras installed.
It has come fore in the investigation that Verma was acquainted with Bala and used to procure drugs from her networks. On January 20, Chandigarh Police arrested Bala from her residence in Sector 38. The arrest was made following the interrogation of a drug peddler. A search of Bala’s house had led to the recovery of 3.44 grams of heroin.
Deepak Verma, a resident of Ludhiana, has a lengthy criminal history with 14 FIRs registered against him for offences ranging from drug smuggling to murder and attempt to murder. He had previously also fired at a Punjab Police STF team in Ludhiana in 2022. He had also tried to mow down a sub-inspector on Dhandra Road, Ludhiana, to escape arrest. A court in Jammu had previously declared him a proclaimed offender in a drugs case.
Police have recovered the Fronx car used in the firing incident, a .32-bore pistol with three live cartridges and three empty cartridges, and 15.20 gm heroin concealed in the car’s dashboard.
