The inability of Surendranagar police to apprehend the perpetrators behind the fatal accident of State Monitoring Cell (SMC) officer J M Pathan has resulted in Gujarat’s Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay to transfer the case to the Ahmedabad Rural Local Crime Branch (LCB) on Saturday.

Eight teams of Surendranagar police were tasked with nabbing a trailer truck driver and locating a Hyundai Creta car involved in the tragic accident, which took the life of the Gandhinagar SMC’s Police Sub-Inspector (PSI).

PSI Pathan’s team was in pursuit of a vehicle suspected to be involved in illegal liquor transport on Tuesday.

Pathan succumbed to the injuries shortly after he was hospitalised.

Senior officials rap Surendranagar police

Surendranagar Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) constituted eight teams to probe this case, which scrutinised footage from around 80 CCTV cameras.

But no substantial breakthrough was made in five days of probing.

In a meeting chaired by the Range Inspector General (IG) to review the investigation, the police officials were unable to present satisfactory answers.

As the matter rose through the ranks, DGP Vikas Sahay and SMC Superintendent of Police (SP) Nirlipt Rai expressed their concerns over the probe.

Following this, the case was transferred to Ahmedabad Rural LCB, and the case is now under the supervision of Ahmedabad Rural SP Om Prakash Jat.

SMC officer loses life in the line of duty

The fatal accident occurred on the Dasada-Patdi road near Kathada village around 2.30 am, when the PSI and his team attempted to intercept the suspects.

According to police sources, the SMC team had set up a checkpoint on the Kathada village turn after receiving intelligence about a suspicious vehicle — a Creta car believed to be carrying contraband liquor.

However, the vehicle driver ignored the checkpoint and attempted to speed past, overtaking a large trailer truck to evade capture.

PSI Pathan and his team, trailing the vehicle in a Fortuner, accelerated in an attempt to block the Creta from escaping. During the high-speed chase, the situation took a dangerous turn as the trailer and Creta manoeuvred perilously close to each other. In the chaos, the Fortuner carrying PSI Pathan collided with the side of the trailer, causing the police vehicle to veer off the road.

PSI Pathan sustained severe head injuries in the collision. Despite being rushed to the Dasada Primary Health Centre and then transferred to Viramgam Government Hospital, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after his arrival.

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PSI J M Pathan loses life in line of duty while chasing bootlegger in Surendranagar