Reel Turns Real For Moviegoers, Smuggler Caught During Pushpa 2 Screening

Moviegoers watching a late-night show of "Pushpa 2" at a multiplex in Maharashtra's Nagpur witnessed a real-life action scene as police rushed into the cinema hall and arrested a man wanted in murder and drug cases.

The dramatic arrest of Vishal Meshram shortly after midnight on Thursday left the packed audience stunned, but police assured them that they could continue enjoying the movie as they caught the accused and took him away. Meshram was on the run for 10 months and was eventually tracked down after police learnt about his interest in the recently-released film, an official from Pachpaoli police station said on Sunday.

The gangster had 27 cases against him, including two of murder and drug trafficking, and was known for his violent tendencies, even attacking police in the past, he said.

Authorities had been pursuing him relentlessly, using cyber surveillance and tracking his movements in a new sports utility vehicle (SUV), the official said.

After tracking him on Thursday, police deflated the vehicle's tyres outside the cinema hall, located in central part of the city, to prevent his escape, he said.

When police personnel entered the hall during the movie's climax, Meshram was engrossed in the film.

The police surrounded him and made the arrest swiftly, giving him no chance to resist, the official said.

Meshram is currently lodged in the Nagpur Central Jail and will soon be transferred to a prison in Nashik, the police said.

"Pushpa 2: The Rule", the blockbuster movie starring Allu Arjun, is a sequel to 2021's Telugu film "Pushpa: The Rise". It was released on December 5 with dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.

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