Cop chasing gang crushed by truck

A five-kilometre chase by 20 policemen in six vehicles to nab a group of miscreants tragically ended with the death of a Delhi police constable in the wee hours of Friday.

A five-kilometre chase by 20 policemen in six vehicles to nab a group of miscreants tragically ended with the death of a Delhi police constable in the wee hours of Friday.

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Constable Naresh Kumar, 42, lost his life while his colleague, a 25-year-old home guard, was injured when the Tata 407 mini truck in which more than seven miscreants of the notorious Mewati gang were travelling hit their patrolling motorcycle during the chase in northwest Delhi’s Bharat Nagar.

The constable was crushed under the rear wheels of the truck after he fell from his bike, which was hit by the truck. Home guard Shankar, 25, was injured when his head hit the mini truck. The miscreants also pelted stones at the policemen and one hit the home guard on his head.

The deceased constable was a native of Alwar in Rajasthan and had joined the force as a constable in 2008 after his retirement from the Indian Army. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Meenu Choudhary, DCP (northwest), said everything started with a PCR call at around 2am about a group of people pelting stones on another group outside a banquet hall in Netaji Subhash Place area.

“A PCR van along with an emergency response vehicle went to control the situation but the assailants attacked our officers with stones and sped away in their mini truck. A message was immediately flashed on the wireless and all police pickets and PCR vans were alerted about the truck, which didn’t have a registration number plate,” said Choudhary.

He said the driver of the truck sped up and started driving in a zigzag manner towards Bharat Nagar. After crossing Prem Bari Pul, police said, the mini truck entered Bharat Nagar area, so two more PCR vans and two patrolling bikes joined the chase.

“The police had also blocked the road in front of a government school with barricades. But the speeding mini truck smashed the barricades and proceeded towards JJ Colony side,” said Choudhary, adding the victims were patrolling the area when they were alerted about the mini truck.

Recounting the incident, the injured home guard, who is undergoing treatment at LNJP hospital, said, “We were near the police station when we spotted the mini truck and started chasing it. Naresh was riding the patrolling bike and he wanted to overtake the vehicle and block its way. But the truck driver hit our motorcycle and we fell. The right rear wheel of the truck ran over Naresh’s head and he died on the spot.”

The body of the constable was handed over to his family after the post mortem examination at Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital.