Cop run over while escorting suspects in drugs case to crime scene

Bengaluru: A police officer was killed in a hit-and-run accident while escorting two suspects in a drugs case to a crime scene.

Mehboob Guddalli (40), a sub-inspector posted at the Thalaghattapura police station, had stepped out of the car following a technical snag when an unidentified vehicle ran him over on Hosur Road (NH 44) near Chandapura around 2 am on June 24.

At the time, the sub-inspector and police constable Tulsi Das were taking the two suspects to a location in Anekal, from where they had allegedly sourced drugs. They were travelling in a car belonging to the suspects — Waseem alias Chocolate and Ameer — as no police vehicle was available then.

However, one of the wheels broke on the highway near Yallamma Nagar in Surya Nagar, forcing them to stop. Guddalli stepped out to make phone calls and arrange alternative transport when a speeding truck hurtled towards the car and struck him. Both suspects fled, Das stated.

Guddalli suffered critical injuries to his legs, stomach, and chest, and was rushed to a private hospital. He died on Sunday morning.

A police officer said efforts were underway to identify and trace the truck. Born on June 4, 1985, Guddalli hailed from Othihal village near Sindagi in Vijayapura district. He is survived by his wife and two children.

He had earlier served at the Vijayanagar traffic police station, and at the Hulimavu, Parappana Agrahara, Wilson Garden, Siddapura, and Thalaghattapura police stations. The police said that Guddalli had detained four men near Thalaghattapura on June 23 in a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.