A man steals a police patrol car, leaving the officers on edge before being caught

In a scene that left the police on edge, a 28-year-old person allegedly stole a police patrol vehicle from the Karimnagar Rural Police Station premises on Monday evening.

He later tried to extort money from truck drivers by impersonating a policeman before he was nabbed near Hasanparthi in Hanamkonda district in the wee hours of Tuesday.

According to sources, the accused was identified as Mohd. Ajaz, an AC mechanic from Bommakal near Karimnagar.

He allegedly took advantage of the fact that the vehicle keys were left in the ignition in the driver’s cabin and drove away with the parked vehicle.

He allegedly headed towards Hanamkonda and hit the road divider near Hasanpathy, bringing the vehicle to a standstill.

He then allegedly parked the vehicle on the roadside and tried to extort money from truck drivers by pretending to be a police officer.

On the tip-off of some motorists, the police team nabbed him and sent the vehicle back to Karimnagar along with the detained accused.

Karimnagar One Town police registered a case and arrested Azaz. It was not immediately clear if he was under the influence of alcohol when he allegedly drove off with the police vehicle.

Further investigation is underway to establish the motive behind the incident.

Sources added that Ajaz allegedly had a strained relationship with his family members and often approached the police for intervention in “marital disputes” with his wife.

Sources close to his family claimed that his mental state was not stable.

The incident raised questions about the failure to follow security procedures involving police vehicles parked on the police station premises.

Published – 08 Sep 2026 21:00 IST