Chennai: A day after video clippings of him clinging to a moving truck went viral, traffic special sub-inspector B Murugan is cool and composed, refusing to get carried away by a flood of wishes and congratulatory messages pouring in from different areas.The 57-year-old Murugan demonstrated incredible bravery and quick thinking when he clung to a hijacked truck near Singaperumal Koil on Tuesday morning. The dramatic chase began when Murugan, on duty near Tiurtheri point, received an alarming message over his walkie-talkie about a hijacked vehicle heading his way. Spotting the truck’s erratic driving, he sprang into action.As the truck slowly made its way forward, Murugan leaped onto the vehicle to stop it. For nearly five kilometres thereon, he held on tightly, despite the hijacker’s violent attempts to throw a metal rod at him. Remaining composed under pressure, Murugan radioed his team that swiftly organized a blockade using two large container trucks. The hijacker tried to ram the median to escape, but eventually, the truck was brought to a halt, and the hijacker was apprehended.The hijacker had taken control of the truck when its driver had stopped the vehicle at Paranur toll plaza after realizing there was insufficient balance in the FASTag account. Murugan, reliving the tense moments leading up to the chase, said: “I tried to set up a barricade, but the driver drove through it. When the truck slowed down, I saw my chance and jumped on.” He tried to open the truck door to confront the hijacker, but it was locked. Despite the risk, he refused to give up. “I hoped I could talk him down, but his erratic behaviour shattered that hope. He began hurling metal rods at me. It was dangerous, but I knew I couldn’t let him escape, as it would put other motorists at risk,” he told TOI.He had a narrow escaped as he jumped just in time before the hijacker crashed the vehicle into the median. “It was due a timely alert by sub-inspector Lokesh and constable Mohanraj,” he said. Murugan attributes his reflexes and fitness to his athletic background as a former NCC cadet. “My three years in NCC kept me in good shape and taught me to stay alert.”