Cops fire five rounds at fleeing vehicle, but fail to arrest criminal

The car in which Shaikh and his family were travelling

A tip-off regarding a wanted history-sheeter had led a team of the Navi Mumbai Anti-Extortion Cell to the right spot, from where they had planned to nab the criminal, but as luck would have it, the accused managed to escape from the spot, in a rather dramatic way.

On spotting the police vehicle near the Khanvide toll plaza on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, Virar, accused Fayaz Shaikh tried to run over the cops, but when the officers started firing at his vehicle, he took a u-turn and fled. In the meantime, the bullets pierced into his car's tyres, which got punctured and came off. However, even then Shaikh managed to escape from the spot, leaving his family behind in the car. The cops have arrested his wife and mother, and have launched a search operation for him.

The cops have arrested Shaikh's mother (below) and wife

According to the police, Shaikh is wanted in a number of cases, which includes chain-snatching, robbery and property-related crimes as well. During enquiry it was found that Shaikh originally hailed from Vapi, but he visited Mumbai to commit thefts. A number of cases are pending against him at the Navi Mumbai and Thane police stations.

On Sunday, sub-inspector Anil Survase received a tip-off that Shaikh was planning to return to Vapi along with his family. Thereafter, a team of the Anti-Extortion Cell laid a trap near the toll plaza around 11 pm on Sunday. When they spotted the accused, the cops asked him to stop the car, but instead of doing that, he tried to run them over. When he took a u-turn and tried to escape, the cops fired at his vehicle and punctured two of its tyres. Even then he did not stop and drove for almost five kilometers. Then he got off the car and escaped from the spot leaving his family behind. The officers then took his wife and mother to the Virar police station and filed a complaint against them.

An officer from Virar police station said this was not the first time that such a thing happened. Last year, when a joint team of the Navi Mumbai and Kharghar police tried to arrest him from Vapi, he escaped in a similar manner.

When the cops asked Shaikh to stop his vehicle and fired at his car, he sped away. Though the police team tried to follow him, they got stuck in the traffic and Shaikh managed to flee.

Fayaz Shaikh. Pics/Hanif Patel

Speaking to mid-day, Jayant Bajbale, SDPO, said, "The Virar cops have booked the accused's family members under sections 307, 332, 353,427, 108 and 34 of IPC and sections 3 and 25 of the Arms Act. Two of the cops who fired five rounds at his vehicle sustained minor injuries in the process."

Also Read: Wanted criminal held for robbing cash van, killing 2 men at Narela: Police

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