Youth killed by cattle smugglers in Gorakhpur

Gorakhpur: A confrontation between villagers and suspected cattle smugglers here spiralled into violence on Tuesday, leaving a 20-year-old man dead, a smuggler critically injured, and senior police officers hurt in stone-pelting.

In the early hours of Tuesday, tension flared in Mauachapi village under Pipraich police station limits as news of the youth’s death spread. Angry villagers blocked the Gorakhpur–Pipraich road, hurled stones at police, and forced traffic to a standstill. The blockade was lifted only after five hours, following assurances from senior officials. The chain of events began late on Monday night, when 10–12 smugglers arrived in two pickup vans and allegedly tried to break open a furniture shop belonging to one Durgesh Gupta.

The shop’s upper floor housed a travel agency where a relative was sleeping. On hearing the shutters being forced, he alerted Durgesh’s son, Deepak. Deepak rushed to the spot on a scooter, raising an alarm. Nearly 10–15 villagers followed him. Startled, the smugglers opened fire and tried to flee. In the chaos, they dragged Deepak into one of their vehicles and sped away. Meanwhile, villagers caught hold of one smuggler, torched his vehicle, and thrashed him severely.

When police reached the scene and attempted to rescue the injured man, locals clashed with them, pelting stones. SP (North) Jitendra Srivastava and Pipraich SHO suffered serious injuries in the melee. Later, police traced Deepak’s blood-soaked body around 4 km away, triggering outrage in the area.