Mumbai: Brave female cop gets errant auto driver arrested

Traffic constable Minaj Khan asks autorickshaw driver Mohd Kalim to pay a fine for his expired driving licence

Traffic constable Minaj Khan, 34, isn't one to back down in the face of intimidation from unruly drivers; and she showed just that last week. On the evening of July 13, she was at Lokhandwala in Andheri carrying out routine vehicle and licence check, when she noticed an errant autorickshaw driver headed towards Infinity Mall, trying to evade the check by driving away in a hurry, so much so that he rammed into a parked motorbike.

Audacious automan
Acting swiftly, Khan stopped the autorickshaw and asked the driver, identified as Mohd Kalim, 39, to show his licence, which turned out to be expired. Khan then asked him to pay the fine so that she could issue a challan. Kalim, however, flashed his 'media' ID and threatened her, saying not to mistake him as a lowly auto driver, and that he belonged to the media.

Kalim flashes a 'media' ID and threatens and pushes Khan; he later tries to intimidate her by driving his vehicle towards her

Kalim then snatched the licence, pushed her and tried to intimidate her by driving his vehicle towards her. Just then, passers-by and shopkeepers in the vicinity jumped to her help, stopping the autorickshaw, taking away the keys and catching hold of the driver. Khan, meanwhile, dialed 103 and called for back-up.

Shopkeepers and passers-by run to Khan's rescue and nab Kalim, after which cops take his custody. Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

'Threat to women'
A team from Amboli police station, including senior inspector Bharat Gaikwad, immediately reached the spot and took the driver in custody. Khan's statement was recorded, and Kalim was booked and arrested under sections 353 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code and 3/181 and 21(18)/177 of the Motor Vehicles Act. Kalim was produced in court and sent to police custody.

Traffic constable Minaj Khan caught errant auto driver Mohd Kalim

Gaikwad said that if Khan has mentioned in her statement about the accused carrying a press card, they will investigate it.mid-day learned that Kalim is a habitual traffic rule violator with five challans raised against him between 2016 and 2017.

The press card Kalim flashed at Khan to intimidate her

Speaking to mid-day, Khan said, "Kalim was unruly with me throughout the episode. If he could misbehave and intimidate a policewoman like this, he's definitely a threat to women." Traffic DCP (West) S B Jadhav confirmed the incident and said the Amboli police were carrying out further investigation.

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