Two men died after allegedly jumping from a bridge over the Chambal River while attempting to evade a police chase in Rajasthan’s Kota district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred during a blockade set up under Operation Route Clearance by the Budhadit police station team near Mandawara on the Kota–Sawai Madhopur route.
According to Kota (Rural) superintendent of police Sujeet Shankar, police signalled an Uttar Pradesh-registered car to stop, but the driver accelerated, breached the barricade and fled.
Police chased the vehicle for nearly 15 kilometres before finding it abandoned on the Chambal bridge along the expressway. The driver and another occupant were missing from the car.
Police found the two men who sustained fatal injuries from the fall below the 100-foot-tall bridge. Although initial reports suggested they jumped into the river, the men landed on a rocky and muddy patch instead of the water.
Senior police officers rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team and the Mobile Operations Bureau (MOB) team were also called to collect evidence.
{{/usCountry}}Senior police officers rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team and the Mobile Operations Bureau (MOB) team were also called to collect evidence.
{{/usCountry}}Police also recovered around 117kg of poppy husk, a few kilometres away from the checkpoint. Investigators suspect the contraband was dumped by the two men while fleeing to avoid arrest.
Police identified the deceased as Raj Singh, a resident of Sangrur in Punjab and Chain Singh, a resident of Harnawada village in Baran district of Rajasthan.
The Uttar Pradesh registration number of the abandoned car is being verified, and further investigation is underway to determine the source and destination of the narcotics. The bodies were handed over to the families after the post-mortem examination.