Four arrested for opening fire, trying to run over police on KMP Expressway in Gurugram

Four men were arrested near the Pataudi toll plaza on KMP Expressway in Gurugram for allegedly attempting to smuggle cattle from Rohtak to Mewat after they opened fire at a police team and a group of cow vigilantes, police said on Thursday, adding they also tried to run the policemen over while attempting to escape.

Police said the incident took place around 3.30am on Wednesday when they, acting on a tip-off regarding the movement of the alleged cattle smugglers, first stopped a car in which three men were travelling at the toll plaza. Police identified them as Mohammad Khalid, Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Shahid--all suspected cattle smugglers--and detained them. Police said the three were allegedly piloting ahead to alert their cohorts about police checking and movement.

Police added that a pickup truck, loaded with six bovines, then drove towards the toll plaza. When the police tried to flag it down, the driver tried to flee by ramming the barricades of the plaza and attempting to run over the police and the group of five-six vigilantes, but failed as the vehicle drove over sharp rocks deflating its tires and came to a halt.

Police said that all five men on the truck then tried to flee on foot, and were chased. One of them--identified as Mohammad Javed alias Kallu--fired a few rounds at the police and the vigilantes but was soon overpowered and caught. The other four escaped under cover of darkness.

Police said Javed and Shahid are from Nuh, while Khalid is from Tawdu and Abbas from Saadai village, Mewat.

Police said they found two bulls and four cows in the truck with their limbs and mouths tied with ropes. They said that one of the cows had died, probably due to suffocation.

Based on a complaint by the vigilante leader Mohit alias Monu, an FIR against the arrested suspects was registered under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and The Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015 at Farrukh Nagar police station on Thursday morning.

Inspector Sunil Kumar, station house officer of Farrukh Nagar police station, said all were sent to judicial custody.