Mining mafia targets police patrol in midnight standoff; 2 held after chase

A late-night police patrol in Pinjore narrowly escaped being rammed by two speeding SUVs after officers intercepted a tipper truck suspected of ferrying illegal mining material. The dramatic chase unfolded around 1 am on December 3, when armed men allegedly tried to help the truck flee and then drove their Scorpios straight at the police before escaping into the darkness.

In the early hours of December 3, around 1 am, a Panchkula Police ERV patrol had spotted a suspicious, numberless tipper truck loaded with illegal mining material near shops in Nanakpur village, Pinjore. As officers signalled it to stop, the driver hastily made a phone call.

Within minutes, two Scorpio SUVs roared into the narrow stretch, carrying four men who jumped out and surrounded the police. Ignoring repeated warnings, they urged the tipper driver to flee and then sped their SUVs recklessly towards the officers before disappearing into the night.

Panchkula DCP Srishti Gupta said as soon as the incident was reported, Inspector Bachchu Singh (SHO, Pinjore) and ASI Bheem Singh (In-charge, Maranwala outpost) reached the area with their teams. A swift chase followed through dark stretches near Chitkara University, where the police intercepted one of the SUVs and detained two men.

The accused were identified as Balwant Singh (38), alias Babbu, and Gurdev Singh (28), alias Billa, both residents of Kambawala village under the Barotiwala police station area in Solan district.

According to Investigating Officer ASI Kaptan Singh, the accused not only endangered police lives by driving recklessly but also obstructed government duty. A case has been registered under Section 21 of the Mining Act and Sections 303, 281, 125, 132, 221 and 126 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Both men were produced in a local court and remanded in one day police custody. During the remand, the police aim to arrest the remaining three accused and recover the second Scorpio as well as the tipper involved in the illegal mining operation.