Maharashtra sub-inspector mowed down by liquor smugglers

CHANDRAPUR/NAGPUR: A police sub-inspector was mowed down by a vehicle carrying an alleged liquor mafia kingpin on Maushi-Chargaon road near Nagbhid on Tuesday morning. PSI Chhatrapati Chide, 40, in-charge of Nagbhid police station, was killed after he was crushed under the wheels of a Mahindra Scorpio SUV when he tried to intercept the vehicle on a dirt road around 8am. The vehicle fled the place after the incident.

Chide had received a tip-off about a liquor consignment being brought into Chandrapur and had laid a trap at Maushi-Chorgaon road. Cops tried to stop the vehicle around 8 am. The driver veered the vehicle to one side and hit a tractor coming from the opposite direction. Chide immediately went towards the rear of the Scorpio to stop it from fleeing. The driver however, reversed at full speed crushing PSI Chide under the wheels. While other cops rushed to rescue the injured Chide, the vehicle sped away.

Chide was rushed to Chiristanand hospital in Brahmapuri where he succumbed to his injuries. He belonged to Wani village in Yavatmal teshil.

Nagbhid, a small town in Chandrapur district, has been under prohibition since April 2015. The murder, probably the first of its kind, exposes the growing notoriety of liquor smugglers in dry Chandrapur.

Police have dispatched multiple teams in search of the suspects, identified as alleged kingpin Shahzad Khan alias Bhaijaan and his right hand man Salim, among others. The cops are scanning CCTV footage of different toll nakas.