Mumbai: Drunk men kidnap cop on duty after arguing with him at Chembur

Gaurav Panjwani and Viraj Shinde were arrested by Tilak Nagar police and their car has been confiscated

An on-duty traffic police constable was kidnapped from the Chheda Nagar area of Chembur by three men on Tuesday. The youngsters were heavily drunk and had halted their car in the middle of the north-bound road when constable Vikas Munde was on duty here.

The trio bundled Munde into the car and sped away towards Ghatkopar for nearly 2.5 km until the car was intercepted by motorcycle-borne policemen attached to Vikhroli traffic division near Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar colony in Ghatkopar.

An officer told mid-day that constable Munde, attached to Chembur traffic division was on duty near Chheda Nagar traffic signal where a motorist told him that a grey-coloured Honda City had stopped in the middle of the road blocking traffic.

"I got alarmed and reached the spot along with my colleague to regulate traffic. When I knocked the window of the car, the youth rolled it down and I smelt liquor along with seeing empty beer bottles. I told the driver to park the vehicle at the roadside when two of them came out and began arguing with me," Munde told mid-day.

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"The duo soon started beating me and bundled me into the car," he added. Munde's colleague immediately relayed a message through his walkie talkie to the police control room and the car was intercepted near Ramabai colony.

Two arrested

Viraj Sharad Shinde, 21, and Gaurav Manoj Panjwani, 22, were arrested while Raj alias Chhotu Singh managed to escape. Munde told mid-day that he was assaulted by the youth inside the car too and he sustained "internal injuries" to his body. "Shinde was behind the wheel while I was forced to sit between the two on the rear seat," Munde said.

The arrested duo underwent a breathe analyzer test at Tilak Nagar police station. "They were heavily drunk and were not in a condition to talk. We have registered a case under sections 353 (assault to public servant), 332 (deter public servant from performing his duty), 367 (kidnapping), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and 185 (drunk driving), 188 (abetment of offence) of Motor Vehicle Act against them. They have been placed under arrest and efforts to trace the third man are on," said Sushil Prabhu Kamble, senior inspector of Tilak Nagar police station.

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All the accused are residents of Ghodbunder Road in Thane and were on "a joyride", said an officer privy to the investigation. The cops have confiscated their car, that Shinde said his father has recently gifted him. The vehicle documents are being verified.

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