Head Constable M Velmurugan then clung to the roof of the speeding gutka-laden SUV as it travelled nearly 30 km towards Avinashi.
‘Real-life Singham’: CM Vijay honours cop who clung to speeding gutka SUV
Head constable M Velmurugan held on to a speeding SUV as police chased three suspected gutka smugglers from Vilankurichi towards Avinashi
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay felicitated Head Constable M Velmurugan after his dramatic pursuit of a gutka-laden SUV on the Coimbatore-Avinashi highway. Vijay invited Velmurugan to the State Secretariat and presented him with an appreciation award.
Acting on a tip-off about banned tobacco products being transported from Karnataka, Velmurugan and Sub-Inspector V Vignesh tried to stop a Karnataka-registered SUV on Sunday (September 27) morning. Police said the three occupants pushed the officers aside, shut the vehicle doors and sped away.
Also read: Karnataka imposes one-year ban on gutkha and tobacco-based pan masala
Velmurugan then climbed onto the roof of the speeding SUV and clung to its roof rails as it travelled nearly 30 km towards Avinashi. The chase ended near the Tiruppur district border, where police arrested the three suspected smugglers and seized around 170 kg of banned gutka and tobacco products.
The chase
The SUV travelled through Kalapatti and towards the airport junction, with Velmurugan still clinging to its roof. Motorists recorded the dramatic chase, and videos of the incident later went viral. Police teams, an ambulance crew and volunteers joined the pursuit.
The chase continued for around 30 kilometres before police teams managed to box in the SUV near the Tiruppur district border. Other reports put the distance at nearly 40 kilometres, with the vehicle eventually intercepted around the Karumathampatti/Avinashi stretch.
The three occupants reportedly fled on foot after the vehicle was stopped. Police said two of them suffered fractures to their arms while trying to escape. All three were subsequently arrested.
Also read: Free power, women’s safety, anti-drug push: Vijay's first orders as TN CM
After the video went viral, the public hailed the head constable as a real-life ‘Singham’, the fictional cop known for his honesty and fearlessness.
Gutka seized
The police seized around 170 kg of gutka and other banned tobacco products from the arrested men, identified as P Babu Dhara, A Rajesh and S Suresh. All three hailed from Rajasthan and aged between 20 and 27, according to police.
The incident comes as the new TVK government steps up efforts under its ‘Drug-Free Tamil Nadu’ campaign to curb illicit drug trafficking across the state.