Drunk motorist hits barricade, injures cop

An assistant sub-inspector in Mumbai was injured after a drunk motorist tried to escape the police and hit a barricade. The motorist was arrested.

MUMBAI: An assistant sub-inspector suffered injuries after a drunk motorist, in order to escape the police tried to speed away, but instead hit a barricade, which came flying onto him on Wednesday in Andheri east. The biker was speeding on his two-wheeler with two pillion riders without helmets and was later arrested by the police.

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According to the police, around 2 am, Shyamcharan Gawde, 56, assistant sub-inspector from Andheri police was on duty near JB Nagar metro station in Andheri East.

The accused, Deepesh Khajekar, 26, along with two pillion riders, Pratik Yadav, 27, and Pandit Patil, were returning home to Ghatkopar from a drunken revelry. Upon seeing the three men with no helmets, the policemen on the spot signaled them to stop.

“Instead of stopping at the checkpoint, the accused tried to drive away at an even higher speed when he dashed into a barricade on the street,” Gawade said in his statement. “The impact of the collision was such that the metal barricade came flying towards our team as we stood behind it. It landed on my right shoulder and caused immense pain.”

After the collision, khajekar stopped the bike, while Patil fled from behind. The policemen on the spot made him take a breathalyser test which he failed, and he did not have a license on him either at the time. They then took the accused and the Yadav to Andheri police station.

After the incident, some colleagues took Gawde to the Trauma Care Hospital in Jogeshwari.

A senior official from Andheri police confirmed that Gawde had suffered a fracture on his shoulder and needed surgery which was performed on Thursday.

Khajekar was then booked under sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 338 (Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code and several sections of the Motor Vehicle Act pertaining to safety measures, dangerous driving, drunk driving and riding without a driving license.