Jaipur, Aug 5 (IANS) Two alleged smugglers died after jumping from a bridge into the Chambal River while attempting to evade police during a vehicle chase in Rajasthan’s Kota district, officials said on Wednesday.
The men reportedly landed on a rocky stretch nearly 100 feet below after jumping from the bridge, resulting in fatal injuries.
The incident took place on Tuesday near Mandavra village under the Budadit Police Station area in Kota Rural. According to police, the accused were travelling from Kota towards Delhi via the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujit Shankar said a special blockade was being conducted under “Operation Route Clearance” in the Simliya police station area to curb smuggling activities.
During the operation, a car bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number allegedly broke through the police barricade and sped towards the expressway. As police pursued the vehicle, the occupants allegedly threw nine sacks containing 117 kilograms of poppy husk (doda chura) onto the roadside before continuing their escape.
The occupants were identified as Raj Singh, a resident of Safipur Kalan in Sangrur district, Punjab, and Chain Singh Lodha, a resident of the Harnavda Jhinijhini police station area in Baran district, Rajasthan.
According to the police, the suspects abandoned their vehicle near the Chambal River bridge in Mandavra village and jumped from the bridge in an attempt to evade arrest. SP Sujit Shankar said there was insufficient water beneath the bridge at the time of the incident.
Instead, the men landed on a rocky and earthen surface approximately 100 feet below, sustaining critical injuries that proved fatal. Police personnel reaching the spot found both men dead.
Following the incident, Additional SP Ramkalyan Meena, DSP Omprakash, along with teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Mobile Crime Unit (MOB), reached the scene to collect evidence and begin an investigation.
The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary at Sultanpur Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the alleged smuggling network linked to the 117 kg of poppy husk recovered during the operation.
Further investigation is underway.
–IANS
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