Archive · 28 Sep 2026
Tamil Nadu Cop Clings to SUV During Gutkha Chase
Police were looking for an SUV suspected of carrying banned tobacco products.
The products were believed to be traveling from Bengaluru to Coimbatore.
Officers tried to stop the SUV near Kaikolapalayam early Sunday morning.
The driver sped away while an officer’s hand was briefly trapped in a window.
Head constable M Velmurugan climbed onto the SUV and held its roof rails for more than 40 kilometers.
The vehicle sometimes traveled faster than 100 kilometers per hour.
Police alerted highway officials and sent an ambulance to follow the chase.
The SUV passed through a toll plaza before other police teams blocked it near Mangalam junction.
Three suspected smugglers ran away but were caught, and police found about 230 kilograms of gutkha inside.
Head constable M Velmurugan clung to a speeding SUV’s roof rails for more than 40 kilometers during an early-morning pursuit.
Police said the Karnataka-registered SUV was carrying about 230 kilograms of banned gutkha from Bengaluru toward Coimbatore.
The driver accelerated after police tried to intercept the vehicle near Kaikolapalayam at about 5:45 a.m. Sunday.
The chase crossed from Coimbatore district toward Avinashi and into Tiruppur, with speeds sometimes exceeding 100 kilometers per hour.
Police stopped the SUV near Mangalam junction and arrested three suspected smugglers; two reportedly suffered upper-limb fractures while fleeing.
- Who
- Head constable M Velmurugan, other Tamil Nadu Police teams, and suspected smugglers Babu Dhara, Rajesh, and Suresh.
- What
- Police pursued and arrested three suspected gutkha smugglers after Velmurugan clung to their speeding SUV for more than 40 kilometers.
- When
- Early Sunday morning, beginning at about 5:45 a.m.
- Where
- The pursuit began near Kaikolapalayam in Coimbatore district, continued toward Avinashi, and ended near Mangalam junction in Tiruppur district.
- Why
- Police acted on intelligence that banned tobacco products were being transported from Bengaluru toward Coimbatore.
- Officer involved
- M Velmurugan, a 38-year-old head constable at Kovilpalayam Police Station
- Suspects arrested
- Babu Dhara, 27; Rajesh, 23; and Suresh, 20
- Seized material
- Approximately 230 kilograms of gutkha
- Pursuit distance
- More than 40 kilometers
- Reported speed
- At times above 100 kilometers per hour
- Interception time
- About 5:45 a.m. Sunday
- Pursuit endpoint
- Near Mangalam junction in Tiruppur district
