In a brazen early morning incident, a truck driver was shot and injured after he tried to resist criminals who were stealing diesel from his vehicle in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj district. The attack has highlighted the dangers faced by long-haul drivers on the state's highways.
Highway Robbery Turns Violent Near Police Outpost
The frightening event unfolded on Friday morning, merely about one kilometer from the Sikandarpur police outpost under the jurisdiction of the Chhibramau police station. The victim, identified as Gora alias Wahid, son of Karim Ullah Khan from Sherghat Gaya in Bihar, was on a long-distance haul transporting coal from Jharkhand to Punjab.
Exhausted from the journey, Gora had parked his truck on the highway around 4 am and settled inside the cabin to sleep. Roughly two hours later, at around 6 am, he was abruptly awakened by suspicious noises. To his alarm, he discovered two unidentified men in the act of siphoning diesel from his truck's fuel tank.
Resistance Met With Gunfire
Acting instinctively to protect his livelihood, the driver attempted to secure himself by closing the cabin window. However, the assailants responded with immediate violence. They smashed the window glass and, as Gora raised cries for help, one of them fired a shot, striking and injuring him.
Having inflicted the injury, the criminals did not linger. They swiftly fled the scene in a waiting car, disappearing before any law enforcement could arrive. The entire robbery and assault occurred with shocking speed, leaving the driver wounded and alone on the desolate stretch of highway.
Police Response and Aftermath
Upon being alerted, personnel from the Sikandarpur outpost rushed to the location. Their first priority was providing medical aid to the injured driver. The police initially took Gora to the Chhibramau government hospital for primary treatment. Considering the severity of his gunshot wound, he was later referred to a hospital in Tirwa for more advanced care.
An investigation into the attempted theft and shooting is now underway. Police are likely examining the area for clues and reviewing any available CCTV footage from nearby establishments to identify the culprits. This incident serves as a grim reminder of the risks associated with highway crime in Uttar Pradesh, particularly the theft of diesel, which has become a common and costly problem for transport operators.
The attack on Gora, a driver simply trying to earn his living, underscores the need for enhanced security patrols and quicker response mechanisms on crucial transport corridors to protect the lives and property of those who keep the nation's goods moving.
