In a high-octane chase that looked like something out of a movie, a Coimbatore policeman clung onto the roof rails of an SUV for over 40 km as three persons from Rajasthan attempted to escape with banned tobacco products.

M. Velmurugan, 38, a head constable attached to the Kovilpalayam police station in the district, held onto the roof rails of the SUV, which had about 230 kg of gutkha. The chase started from Kaikolapalayam in the jurisdiction of the Kovilpalayam station around 5.45 a.m. According to senior officers, they had specific information on the smuggling of banned tobacco products from Bengaluru to Coimbatore.

A team, led by Neelambur Inspector P. Thiyagarajan, identified the suspected white SUV bearing a Karnataka registration number at Vellanaipatti.

He immediately alerted his counterparts at the Kovilpalayam station, from where Sub-Inspector V. Vignesh and Mr. Velmurugan swung into action and intercepted the SUV at Kaikolapalayam.

As Mr. Vignesh was talking to the men in the SUV through an open window, the driver raised the glass, trapping one of his hands, and immediately reversed the SUV in a bid to escape. Mr. Vemurugan, who was holding the SUV’s roof with the other hand, climbed atop the vehicle and held onto the rails. As he banged on the roof, the driver released his hand and sped away with Mr. Velmurugan on top of the vehicle.

The SUV sped through Kalapatti, Nehru Nagar junction, and airport junction to reach Avinashi Road and headed to Tiruppur on the busy Salem-Kochi Highway, often clocking over 100 kmph. Meanwhile, Mr. Vignesh chased the SUV on a private car, while Mr. Thiyagarajan and his team followed in a police vehicle.

“The police immediately alerted the NHAI, which deputed an ambulance to ensure the policeman’s safety. Though we had alerted the Kaniyur toll gate, the SUV got away as the boom barrier operated with the FASTag. The video of the policeman on the SUV was shot by the ambulance crew,” said District Superintendent of Police A. Pavan Kumar Reddy.

The SUV was blocked with the assistance of the Avinashi police near Mangalam junction in Tiruppur district. Though the three smugglers — Babu Dhara, 27, A. Rajesh, 23, and S. Suresh, 20 — ran out of the vehicle, the police chased and arrested them, said Karikal Pari Shankar, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Karumathampatti Sub-Division. Two of them suffered fractures on their upper limbs in the escape bid.

“I got atop the SUV in an attempt to stop them. But they sped away. I clung onto the rails, determined not to give up,” said Mr. Velmurugan. Mr. Vemurugan’s daring action earned the praise of Tamil Nadu Ministers, police officers, and social media users.