Nagpur: Head Constable Farooque Ali’s fearless confrontation with a knife-wielding criminal has earned him accolades from Nagpur Commissioner of Police, Ravinder Singal. The Commissioner honoured Farooque for his courage in tackling the assailant bare-handed, displaying remarkable resilience and bravery.
Farooque sustained a deep cut on his cheek during the struggle but did not let the injury deter him. Responding to an urgent alert from the control room, Farooque and his colleague, Subhas Kariyar– both stationed at Wathoda Police Station– rushed to Kharbi, where two criminals had invaded a home with the intent to rob the residents. On reaching the scene on October 22, Farooque engaged in a close combat struggle with Atul Shende, one of the notorious goons, while Kariyar pursued the second suspect. The bravery exhibited by Farooque in the face of danger stands as an inspiring example of dedication and heroism.
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Farooque said he saw his colleague Kariyar chasing a thief, and decided to take on the other goon, who was still inside the house when the cops reached the place. “I rushed towards the house, hoping to nab the goon who was still inside. But the goon climbed up the boundary wall and jumped down right in front of me, brandishing a knife. He immediately charged towards me, hurling abuses,” said Farooque, who joined the force in 2005.
Defying his order to surrender, the goon, later identified as Atul Shende, chose to attack Farooque with the knife. “The goon went for my jugular vein immediately as we sized each other up. I managed to dodge his slashing knife and pushed him hard. He fell around six feet away with the knife. I pounced upon him and tried to pin him to the ground. He managed to sit up and again started pushing the knife towards my throat. I wanted to grab the knife, but he managed to slash my face. Then, I pounced once again upon him, pinned him to the ground, and raised an alarm. Some residents rushed to help, and even started beating him up. I had to protect the goon from them too, since he was in my custody,” said Farooque, adding that his partner Kariyar returned soon and helped him tie up the goon.
Farooque said night officer Sub-Inspector Patil reached the place soon and arranged for reinforcements to take Shende back to the police station. “In our training, much emphasis was laid on tough commando training under the then Principal Praveen Salunkhe (now Addl DG) at Daund, which helped me become mentally tough,” said Farooque, adding that his senior inspector Harish Kumar Borade also motivates him.
Apart from Shende, his accomplice Chetan Burade too was later nabbed from Nandanvan. “I am happy my sons now see their favourite reel character Singham in me. Even their father can be a Singham,” said Farooque.
