Speeding truck mows down two cops, one killed

A police constable on patrolling duty was killed and another personnel critically injured when a speeding truck mowed them down in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district, a police official said today.

The truck driver, who was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol, has been arrested, he said.

The two policemen, posted at the Kharsia police station in the district, were on routine patrolling when suddenly the speeding truck hit them yesterday on Raigarh-Urdana road, he said.

"Constable Kaushal Rathiya (40) died on the spot while the other policeman sustained serious injuries in the accident," the official at the Kharsia police station said.

The injured constable was admitted in a private hospital where his condition was said be to be critical, he said.

The truck driver, who fled the spot along with his vehicle which was carrying bamboo, was later apprehended while he was going towards Dabhra in Janjgir-Champa district, he said.

"The driver was sent for a medical examination which ascertained that he had consumed liquor. His truck has been seized," the official said.

The driver, hailing from Palamu in Jharkhand, was booked under relevant sections for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash driving, he said, adding that a probe was on into the incident.