Murder charges slapped on police driver for assault on petrol pump staff

Kannur: The Kannur Town Police on Monday arrested K Santhosh Kumar (50), a driver at the police headquarters here, for ploughing his car into a petrol pump worker. The cops have slapped attempt to murder charges on him for the road rage.
As the news broke, the Police suspended him and registered a case on Sunday.

The incident happened around 3.30 pm on Sunday at the NKBT fuel station on Pamban Madhavan Road in Thalappu. Having got his car filled with fuel, Santhosh  attempted to leave without paying the full amount. While his bill came to Rs 2,100, he only paid Rs 1,900 to the petrol pump worker, Anil Kumar (62), insisting the amount was sufficient. When Anil stood in front of the vehicle to stop Santhosh from leaving, the latter sped away. Fearing the worst, the petrol pump staff held on to the car's bonnet as the car moved ahead fast.

Despite Anil clinging desperately on to the bonnet, Santhosh continued to drive, navigating through heavy traffic towards a nearby traffic police station. Witnesses quickly followed the car and reported the entire incident to the police.

This was not the first case of rash driving involving Santhosh, sources said. He was the driver when a police jeep ran into a petrol pump breaking the barricade at Caltex Junction on October 16, 2023.