Flying cash, car chase and gunfight: Police arrests drug trafficker in UP's Sonbhadra

In a dramatic incident reported from Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, the police chased a speeding car that made a desperate attempt to distract them by hurling Rs 100 cuurency notes in motion and had suspected drug smugglers onboard.

One of them, Prince (27) from Ludhiana, was injured and arrested following an exchange of fire. His accomplice managed to escape in the darkness, police said.

The police made a narcotics haul worth nearly Rs 59 lakh in the high-speed chase. As the pursuit intensified, the suspects repeatedly rammed their vehicle into the police vehicle, rendering it unusable. The chase resumed after a local, Pradeep Kumar Modanwal, offered his car to the police.

According to SP Abhishek Verma, a Honda City car ignored signals to stop and sped away, prompting Special Operations Group (SOG) personnel to give chase.

Police eventually intercepted and surrounded the vehicle in the Chopan area.

A search of the vehicle led to the recovery of 3 kg of opium and 225 kg of poppy husk with an estimated value of about Rs 49 lakh.

Police also seized the Honda City car, Rs 50,000 in cash, a country-made pistol and a spent cartridge. The total value of the recovery is estimated at Rs 58.75 lakh.

During interrogation, Prince told investigators that he was involved in transporting narcotics from Jharkhand to Punjab and had carried out similar consignments on multiple occasions in the past, police said.

The SP announced a reward of Rs 20,000 for the SOG team and Rs 10,000 for Modanwal for assisting the operation by providing his vehicle.

Efforts are underway to trace and arrest the absconding accused.

With PTI inputs