A 27-year-old man from Rajasthan's Barmer district was arrested on 3 October after allegedly opening fire at a police team during a dramatic highway chase in Gujarat's Aravalli district, with the Local Crime Branch (LCB) recovering 425.8 kg of poppy straw worth ₹63.87 lakh from the vehicle he was travelling in, according to police. The operation on the Malpur-Modasa highway ended with the suspect being shot in the leg after he reportedly fired at pursuing officers.

How the Chase Unfolded

The LCB team was conducting routine vehicle checks near Sun Gold Hotel on the outskirts of Mordungari village under Malpur police station limits when a black Scorpio approached at high speed. When officers attempted to flag it down, the driver allegedly accelerated directly toward the police blockade. The vehicle first collided with an LCB mobile van before executing a U-turn and speeding back toward Malpur.

A Fortuner deployed by the police team then intercepted the Scorpio in a head-on collision, bringing it to a halt. The driver and a second occupant fled on foot in different directions immediately after the crash.

Gunfire and Arrest

The passenger, who exited from the front-left side, allegedly drew a pistol and fired two rounds at the police team. Police Inspector M.H. Zala, who was part of the operation, fired one round into the air and a second toward the lower portion of the Scorpio in self-defence, according to police.

The suspect reportedly crossed a divider railing and again pointed the firearm at pursuing officers. Police then fired a round toward his leg. The bullet struck his right calf, causing him to fall and drop the weapon. He was identified as Rajuram Jangu, alias Bishnoi, a resident of Dhorimana in Barmer, Rajasthan. He received medical treatment before being taken into formal custody.

What Was Seized

A search of the Scorpio yielded 22 gunny bags of poppy straw with a gross weight of 429.38 kg — net quantity 425.8 kg after accounting for 3.58 kg of plastic packaging. Police valued the contraband at ₹63.87 lakh.

Additional items seized included the Scorpio itself (valued at ₹20 lakh), two country-made pistols worth ₹1 lakh, 11 live cartridges, one fired bullet, two empty cartridges, two mobile phones, two FASTags, five RTO registration number plates, and an air-filter cover. The total value of all seized property was put at ₹85.08 lakh, according to police. The Scorpio had also been fitted with a false registration number.

The Smuggling Route and Accused

Police said the poppy straw was being transported from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, through Gujarat, to Barmer in Rajasthan — a cross-state corridor that law enforcement has flagged in earlier drug-trafficking cases. The consignment was allegedly supplied by an unidentified individual in Mandsaur.

Rajuram's alleged accomplice, identified as Sureshkumar Bishnoi, reportedly escaped under cover of darkness and remains at large. The collisions caused an estimated ₹20,000 in damage to the LCB mobile van and approximately ₹2.5 lakh in damage to the Fortuner, police said. Members of the police team also sustained injuries in the incident.

Legal Action

A case has been registered at Malpur police station under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Arms Act, the Motor Vehicles Act, the Public Property Damage Act, and the Gujarat Police Act. Police have declared Sureshkumar Bishnoi and the unidentified Mandsaur supplier as wanted, and said further accused identified during investigation would also be proceeded against.

The arrest highlights the continued use of Gujarat's highway network as a transit corridor for narcotics moving between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan — a pattern that enforcement agencies have been working to disrupt.