TNN

Bangalore, Apr 21: It was a scene straight out of a Bollywood flick. Cops chase criminals, open fire, and finally the bad man is cornered and killed.

Residents of Bommasandra woke up to the sound of bullets on Sunday at 1.30 am. And those who witnessed this scene were confused as to whether there was a movie shoot happening in their midst. To their utter alarm, they realised it was a real confrontation between the police and criminals.

Following a wireless message from the Attibele police station to stop a stolen steel-laden lorry, policemen at the checkpost were alerted and tried to stop the truck by erecting nakabandi (barricades). The message was flashed to the police at Sarjapur and Chandapura who were on alert to carry out the operation.

When police spotted the vehicles and tried to stop them at Chandapura, the driver sped away and the vehicle grazed two policemen, Afroze and Kempanna, who were injured.

On the other hand, truck owner, Yellappa, a resident of Arehalli, lodged a complaint of theft. He was pursuing the truck on his motorbike. The truck, with about 15 tonnes of steel, was parked at Attibele when it was stolen.

When the lorry was speeding near Bommasandra, Hebbagodi sub-inspector S Jagadeesh chased it. The SI warned the driver to stop, warning him that he would open fire. When the driver didn't heed SI's warning, Jagadeesh intercepted the truck, opened three rounds of fire in the air and one at him. The bullet pierced the driver near his neck. The accused, identified as Murthy (30), succumbed to injury at Victoria Hospital.

Police said Murthy was a habitual offender and was wanted by the police in at least 20 cases of theft. When Murthy was driving away the vehicle from the parking lot, a driver who works for Yellappa saw the truck being driven by a stranger and immediately informed his boss.

The injured policemen have been admitted to a private hospital.