Heroin smuggler drives through police barricades, tries to mow down cop during escape bid in Hamirpur

A heroin smuggler allegedly drove through barricades and tried to mow down the Hamirpur Sadar police station incharge with his vehicle near Dugnehri village here on Thursday morning, an official said.

Following a tip-off regarding a consignment of ‘chitta’ being transported in the area, a team from Hamirpur Sadar police station set up a barricade on the Nalti road in Dugnehri village on Thursday to intercept the contraband, the official said.

Subsequently, when the accused approached around 8 am and was signalled to stop, he broke through the barricades and even tried to run over a police officer in a desperate bid to flee, he added.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Hamirpur, Bhagat Singh Thakur said police station incharge Kulwant Rana was injured in the incident.

When the accused did not stop, the station incharge fired at the vehicle, puncturing a tyre, but the accused managed to escape, the officer said, adding that the suspect eventually abandoned the vehicle and fled from the spot.

The police have identified the accused, also the owner of the vehicle, and a manhunt has been launched to nab him, the SP said.

The car — registered in Himachal Pradesh — has been impounded and a case has been registered against the accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he said, adding that investigation is underway.