CHENNAI: While police are used to people fleeing to evade arrest, they were taken aback on Saturday night when a student, who was stopped for drunk driving near Abhiramapuram, fled with the breathalyzer It began as a routine check. Head constable Balan, an inspector and a sub-inspector had been stopping vehicles at Greenways Road junction to check the blood alcohol content of drivers. Barricades were put up to stop vehicles from dodging the team. At 9:05pm, a red Volkswagen (TN-07 CC 5792) drove up the road and was flagged down. Balan asked the driver to roll down the window so the policeman could check him using the breathalyzer. But D Booshan of Velachery refused to blow into the device insisting that he was not drunk. The policeman suggested that he prove his claim by blowing into the breathalyzer.“Initially he was questioned on where he was coming from. He told him (Balan) that he was driving from Santhome. The constable deduced that he was drunk and insisted that he take the test,” said a traffic policeman.The officer said the constable was certain that Booshan, a resident of Drowpathy Amman Koil Second Street, was intoxicated.Booshan claimed that he had not had a drop of alcohol and blew into the straw just as the red light blinked indicating that his blood alcohol content surpassed the permissible limit.Police said he panicked at the sight and snatched the device from Balan. Booshan threw it in the back seat and fled from the scene. Balan, who was initially flabbergasted, quickly gathered his wits and alerted his team. The traffic police were immediately informed and police at the next junction near Leela Palace spotted the car and stopped it.He was again subjected to a breathalyser test and was booked for driving under the influence of alcohol for which he is to pay Rs 2,500 in court. The traffic enforcement wing police, however, handed him over to the Abiramapuram police station in connection with a theft complaint.The Abhiramapuram police registered a case of theft and use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of duty.Interrogations revealed that he was a student of Anna University and he had driven from his friend’s house near Koyambedu.