Man hijacks police patrol vehicle and crashes into another vehicle near Chennai Central

CHENNAI: A 20-year-old man was arrested after he hijacked a police patrol vehicle near Chennai Central suburban railway station and crashed it into another vehicle at a traffic signal on Wednesday evening. Two persons were injured.

The arrested person was identified as Lijo Joseph (20), a native of Kerala residing near Pallavaram. Police sources said that he was working in a packaged drinking water supplying unit.

Joseph who was under the influence of alcohol noticed the key inside the patrol vehicle parked near the Chennai Central suburban railway station and drove away.

Police personnel who were near the vehicle raised an alarm and attempted to intercept him, but he drove through traffic towards the station exit. The vehicle was stopped after it rammed a car waiting at a signal. A woman and the car driver sustained injuries.

Preliminary inquiry indicated that Joseph was miffed with traffic police personnel over an altercation with a traffic cop. Further investigations are underway.