Modasa, October 3, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
A 27-year-old man was arrested after allegedly opening fire at a police team during a high-speed chase in Gujarat’s Aravalli district, with police recovering 425.8 kg of poppy straw worth Rs 63.87 lakh from the vehicle he was travelling in.
The operation took place near Sun Gold Hotel on the outskirts of Mordungari village, within Malpur police station limits, where the Local Crime Branch (LCB) was checking vehicles on the Malpur-Modasa highway.
According to police, a black Scorpio approached at high speed towards Modasa. When officers attempted to stop it, the driver allegedly accelerated towards the police blockade, struck an LCB mobile van, made a U-turn and fled towards Malpur.
A police team in a Toyota Fortuner then tried to intercept the SUV, which allegedly rammed into the car head-on. The collision brought the Scorpio to a halt, prompting its two occupants to flee in different directions.
Police said one of the occupants, identified as Rajuram Jangu, alias Bishnoi, a resident of Dhorimana in Rajasthan’s Barmer district, allegedly pointed a pistol at officers and fired two rounds. Police Inspector M.H. Zala reportedly fired warning shots and subsequently fired towards the suspect’s leg in self-defence. The suspect was hit in the right calf and taken into custody after receiving medical treatment.
The second occupant, identified as Sureshkumar Bishnoi, allegedly escaped under cover of darkness.
A search of the Scorpio led to the recovery of 22 gunny bags containing poppy straw. The gross weight was 429.38 kg, including 3.58 kg of packaging, leaving a net quantity of 425.8 kg, valued at Rs 63.87 lakh.
Police also seized the Scorpio, valued at Rs 20 lakh, two mobile phones, two country-made pistols, 11 live cartridges, a fired bullet, two empty cartridges, two FASTags, five vehicle registration plates and an air-filter cover. The total value of the seized property was estimated at Rs 85.08 lakh.
Police alleged that the vehicle had a fake registration number and that the consignment was being transported from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh to Barmer in Rajasthan. An unidentified person in Mandsaur is suspected of supplying the contraband.
The two collisions caused an estimated Rs 20,000 in damage to the LCB van and around Rs 2.5 lakh to the Fortuner. Police personnel were also injured during the incident.
A case has been registered at Malpur police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, the Motor Vehicles Act, the Public Property Damage Act and the Gujarat Police Act.
Sureshkumar Bishnoi and the alleged supplier from Mandsaur remain wanted. Police said further action would be taken against any additional accused identified during the investigation.
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