A 23-year-old drug trafficker was arrested after a four-kilometre dramatic chase by police control room van staff in west Delhi’s Mianwali Nagar on Friday morning. Police claimed they were forced to open fire to end the chase as rash driving by the accused was proving to be dangerous.
Additional Commissioner of Police (West) V Renganathan said 10 rounds were fired from a service gun and the accused Vikram Kumar, a resident of Nihal Vihar in Nangloi, was held unhurt.
Police recovered 20 kilos of ganja from his Honda Civic car. His brother was also with him, but he managed to escape.
The PCR van, with call sign P-20, was near Hotel Radisson Blu in Paschim Vihar around 8.25 am when the staff noticed a car with two men inside coming from National Market.
“The movement of the car looked suspicious and was signalled to stop. But the driver did not stop and tried to flee,” Renganathan added.
The PCR van chased the car. It was being dangerously driven outside S S Mota Singh School in Mianwali Nagar and the fire station in Jwalapuri.
Having no other option, the PCR van in-charge directed the gunman to fire at the car tyre. Constable Somvir opened fire with his service MP-5 gun and in all 10 rounds were fired.
“Of them, three bullets hit the car — one on the boot, second on the rear bumper and third hit the rear tyre of left side,” Renganathan said.
Finally, the car stopped at a traffic signal in Paschim Vihar and both occupants of the car tried to flee. “They were chased by the PCR staff and one
of them, Vikram, was apprehended,” Renganathan added.
The car was checked and the PCR van staff found a black-striped cloth bag. Twenty packets of ganja were recovered from the bag.
A case under Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act was registered with Mianwali Nagar police station. “Investigation of the case is in progress and efforts are being made to arrest the other accused. Police personnel involved in the good work are being rewarded suitably,” said Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra.
Head Constable Sagar Chand and Constables Somvir and Pawan Kumar were on duty in day shift from 8 am to 8 pm in the PCR van.