Cannabis smugglers attack, injure police inspector

Kalaburagi / Bengaluru: A police inspector sustained grievous injuries when over 30 cannabis smugglers attacked him on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border after he unearthed the consignment, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

The inspector Srimant Illal is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Kalaburagi where his condition is critical, the superintendent of police Isha Pant told reporters.

“The Director General of Police Praveen Sood has said that if required we will airlift him for better treatment,” Pant said.

According to her, the incident occurred on Saturday. Based on a tip-off about the presence of two quintals of cannabis, Illal with about 10 policemen reached the border.

The place where it was found was in Maharashtra, Pant said adding, that the inspector dispatched about seven constables in search of the gang while he stood in the forested region in the dark night with three constables.

Suddenly, more than 30 people attacked him. With the sudden attack, the constables ran for their safety. The inspector got caught and was beaten up.

“His ribs have been fractured and the lung is punctured. He is in a critical condition,” Pant said.

The police officer said she is contact with the superintendent of police of Osmanabad in Maharashtra who has assured her all help in tracking the culprits.