While it is a well-known fact that police personnel usually face several hurdles when they are trying to snare an accused, three Shahu Nagar cops faced an unusual road block recently in the form of village women at an Uttar Pradesh village, who lay down in front of the cops’ jeep to prevent them from taking away an accused.

The cops had to take the help of some locals to get the women out of the way and tactfully drive away with the accused, who was brought back to the city and formally arrested on Monday.

“On May 15, Shaikh Ahmed Azizahul Haque had registered a complaint at the police station alleging that some workers from his plastic factory were illegally selling off the manufactured plastic. Haque has a plastic factory at Zalil compound in Dharavi where eight workers have been working for the last eight years. We arrested one Abusaad Ahmed Sheikh, who confessed that another worker, Abdul Rahim (22), would plan and execute the sale. Rahim had, however, left for his village in Uttar Pradesh on May 10 itself as he was to get married a fortnight later,” said assistant police inspector Sadanand Lohar of the Shahu Nagar police station, who is investigating the case.

Lohar and two other police personnel then departed for Uttar Pradesh on April 26 and with the help of the complainant’s friends who are settled there, they traced Rahim to Budhan village in Basti district.

“Rahim had got married on May 21 and his village was teeming with relatives. We did not seek any help or even inform the local police station there as there was a possibility that the information of our arrival may reach the accused. We requested the complainant’s friends to first visit Rahim’s house and engage him in conversation and meanwhile we neared his house. In a few minutes, our jeep was inside the compound of his house and we had caught him and seated him inside,” said Lohar, who added that just when they were expecting that their operation had been a smooth success, the women of the village threw themselves in front of the jeep, thereby preventing it from moving.

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