They were chasing suspected criminals in the dead of night and every single second mattered.

But what set them back was not some clever thinking by the suspects but something which has become the horror on the City’s roads: rash driving. 

Two constables, attached to the Ulsoor police station, were not far behind two suspected thieves on Dickenson Road when an unexpected thing set them back around 3 am on Monday. Just as they reached near a private college in the far corner of Dickenson Road, a Santro collided with their Cheetah bike. The car driver didn’t halt. He simply sped away. 

The injured constables jotted down the car’s registration number but it turned out to be inaccurate. The constables were taken to a nearby hospital and discharged later. Police said the constables—Shivakumar, 32, and Keshava Murthy, 35—were on night patrol when the control room staff asked them to go after two men moving suspiciously on a motorcycle on Ulsoor Road. The constables managed to spot the suspected thieves lurking around Manipal Centre. But as soon as they saw the policemen, the suspects accelerated.

The constables then went after them as they entered Dickenson Road. Just at this moment, the Santro zipped, hitting their Cheetah bike. The suspected thieves had more than enough time to get away. 

According to the police, the footage from CCTV cameras installed at three nearby junctions was being analysed.

A Santro has been spotted in the footage but its registration number is unclear. Police further said that they would take experts’ help to identify the car. 

In another accident, a constable attached to the Kengeri police station sustained serious injuries while chasing two men said to be wheeling on Sun City main road near Kengeri Satellite Town around 9.30 am. 

Just as Veerupakshaiah, the constable, went after the men, they took a reverse turn and speeded. The constable too made a U-turn but could not control the bike while negotiating a hump.

He fell down after being tossed up in the air. He sustained severe head injuries, the police said. 

Of late, policemen have been meeting with accidents while going after suspected criminals. 

On July 6, a 28-year-old constable attached to the Rajagopal Nagar police station suffered serious head injuries while chasing a suspected thief near Andrahalli.

He was treated at Nimhans for a month before being discharged recently. He has significantly lost his memory. 

Similarly, on August 9, head constable Shivashankar, 45, was injured after accidentally falling from a ladies’ hostel where he had gone to catch suspected thieves. He was later admitted to the Hosmat Hospital.