A Sub-Inspector fired a round to stop a lorry loaded with illegally quarried gravel in a waterbody near Kallal in Sivaganga district after the vehicle’s occupants knocked down his motorcycle on Thursday night.
Police said Sub-inspector E. Ramar, attached to the Kallal station, got a tip-off on Thursday and rushed to the spot on a two-wheeler around 7 p.m. with a ‘Friends of Police’ (FoP) member.
He parked his bike on a narrow road near the main road at Sirukulipattu and waited for the tipper lorry. The lorry appeared and knocked down the motorbike, after which the youth behind the wheel tried to escape by reversing the vehicle. Mr. Ramar ran before the lorry to stop it.
“When it advanced towards me, I fired one round in the air, forcing the driver to stop and get down,” Mr Ramar told The Hindu over phone. He said the driver was Vignesh (19).
His father Ravichandran (45) was also in the lorry. They were arrested for attempt to murder and theft and also booked under the provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The duo was produced before a Magistrate court, which remanded them in judicial custody. Ravichandran faces three cases in connection with illegal sand and gravel quarrying, while his son faces one case.