Navi Mumbai police have successfully concluded a six-day manhunt for the driver of an SUV that crashed into a traffic island at the Nerul signal on Palm Beach Road. The driver, identified as Ganpat Birbal Ram, was detained at a hotel in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on Thursday evening. The police recovered 69 kg of opium valued at Rs 70 lakh and a country-made pistol loaded with six bullets from the abandoned SUV.
How the suspect was traced
According to a police officer, the breakthrough came when the driver's driving licence was found at the crash site. The licence led investigators to his residential address in Motaniya Nagar, a rural village in Osian tehsil, Jodhpur district. Since the SUV was registered in Jodhpur, the police obtained the registered mobile number of the licence holder and confirmed that the vehicle belonged to the accused.
Police teams deployed
Two police teams were formed to track down Ram. One team monitored his mobile tower location, which was intermittently switched on, while another team was dispatched to his Jodhpur address. However, he had not yet arrived there. The police team camped in Jodhpur for six days, coordinating with the tracking team. When they received information that his mobile tower location was active at a hotel in Jodhpur, they raided the premises and detained him.
Accused's escape and arrest
The police officer stated, "The accused driver, Ram, after escaping from the accident spot, was changing his location and kept his mobile off for most of the time. To escape to Jodhpur, he borrowed his friend's car, who resided in Navi Mumbai." The police team escorting Ram from Jodhpur to Navi Mumbai is expected to arrive late at night on Friday. He will then be formally arrested under the FIR registered under the NDPS Act, Fire Arms Act, and BNS sections for rash and negligent driving and causing damage to public property.
