Traffic cop fights off gang of five who tried to rob couple on highway

Head constable Deepak Ghadge

A head traffic constable became a hero for a couple who was ambushed at Bandra West after he rushed to their aid and saved them from being looted.

The five accused had stopped the couple's car and had tried to rob them. However, head constable Deepak Pandurang Ghadge, 52, intervened and succeeded in nabbing one accused - Shabir Abdul Rahman Shaikh, 30.

During the tussle, they also tore Ghadge's uniform and one of the accused managed to run away with the couple's mobile phone.

A screen grab of a video shows cops arresting Shabir Abdul Rahman Shaikh

According to the police, the incident occurred on Tuesday at 7 pm near the Bandra police chowky at the highway when the couple's car was stopped by the gang. As soon as the couple stopped their car, all the five accused started hitting the couple. A biker, who was passing by, spotted the incident and informed Ghadge who was patrolling near the Bandra highway signal.

In a police statement, Ghadge said, "I rushed to the spot and informed the control room about the incident. At the spot, I found a car and a couple fighting with five people. When I intervened, one of the accused said: "Tu police wala beech mein kyun aaya. Tere ko mar dunga. (Why are you interfering in the matter. I'll kill you). Soon they started beating me and tore my uniform. However, I managed to nab Shabbir Shaikh and in the meantime, my team reached the spot."

Ghadge said the accused were carrying knives and cutters. He was later sent to Bhabha hospital for first aid and was discharged soon.

A police officer from Bandra police said, "We registered the case against the five accused and are searching for the other four."

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