Two alleged smugglers died after jumping from a bridge into the Chambal River while attempting to escape from police during a vehicle chase in Rajasthan’s Kota district, officials said on Wednesday.
According to police, the two men sustained fatal injuries after landing on a rocky surface nearly 100 feet below the bridge.
The incident occurred on Tuesday near Mandavra village under the Budadit Police Station limits in Kota Rural district. Police said the accused were travelling from Kota towards Delhi via the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway when they encountered a police checkpoint.
Kota Rural Superintendent of Police Sujit Shankar said a special blockade had been set up under Operation Route Clearance to crack down on narcotics smuggling and other illegal activities.
During the operation, a car bearing a Uttar Pradesh registration number allegedly breached the barricade and sped away towards the expressway. As police pursued the vehicle, the occupants allegedly threw nine sacks containing 117 kilograms of poppy husk (doda chura) onto the roadside before continuing their escape.
The deceased were identified as Raj Singh, a resident of Safipur Kalan in Punjab’s Sangrur district, and Chain Singh Lodha, a resident of the Harnavda Jhinijhini police station area in Rajasthan’s Baran district.
Police said the duo abandoned their vehicle near the Chambal River bridge at Mandavra village and jumped from the bridge in a bid to evade arrest. However, there was little water beneath the bridge at the time, and both men landed on a rocky and earthen surface, suffering critical injuries.
Police personnel who reached the spot found the two men dead.
Following the incident, Additional Superintendent of Police Ramkalyan Meena, Deputy Superintendent of Police Omprakash, and teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the Mobile Crime Unit visited the scene to collect evidence.
The bodies have been shifted to Sultanpur Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the alleged narcotics smuggling network linked to the seizure of 117 kg of poppy husk. Further investigation is in progress.
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