Five persons, including four cops, crushed to death by speeding truck in Bihar

Five persons, including four policemen, were crushed to death when a speeding truck, allegedly carrying illegal liquor bottles, hit the cops during a vehicle-checking drive. Four other policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) KM Prasad, were seriously injured and rushed to a private hospital in Muzaffarpur. Their condition is stated to be critical.

The incident took place near Panapur outpost on NH-28, around 35 km from Muzaffarpur, and 90 km from the State Capital.
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According to reports, Prasad and the officer-in-charge of Panapur outpost DN Jha, on a tip-off (that liquor was being smuggled in a truck), were carrying out a vehicle checking drive on the national highway on Sunday late night. When the suspected truck was seen approaching from Motihari, the cops signalled it to stop, but the driver increased the speed, rammed into the police vehicle and sped crushing the cops.

“Five persons were declared brought dead when rushed to the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH),” said a police source. Senior SP (SSP) of Muzaffarpur, Vivek Kumar, who rushed to the incident site, said five persons were mowed down by a truck bearing registration number of Haryana during a vehicle-checking drive. Three policemen, who died, were bodyguards of the DSP.

Sources further said the truck was later seized but the driver managed to flee under the cover of darkness.

It may be mentioned here Bihar was declared a dry State in April 2016 when Nitish regime imposed prohibition in the State. Though several lakhs litres of liquor had been seized and over 50,000 persons arrested in the last 18 months, the illicit trade of smuggling liquor from neighbouring states remains unabated.