Haryana: Student Mistaken For Cow Smuggler, Chased For 30 Km, Shot Dead

A Class 12 student in Faridabad, Haryana, was allegedly pursued in a car and killed by cow vigilantes who mistakenly believed he was a cattle smuggler. The police have arrested five members of a cow vigilante group in connection with the attack, which took place on August 23. The accused have been identified as Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurabh.

Mistaking the victim, Aryan Mishra, and his friends, Shanky and Harshit, for cattle smugglers, the accused chased their car for about 30 kilometers near Haryana’s Gadhpuri on the Delhi-Agra National Highway.

According to sources, the cow vigilantes had received information that some cattle smugglers in Renault Duster and Toyota Fortuner cars were recceing the city and picking up cattle.

Accused Open Fire on Innocent Teen, Flee After Realizing Error

The arrested individuals, while searching for cattle smugglers, spotted a Duster car at Patel Chowk. They instructed the driver, Harshit, to stop, but Aryan and his friends didn’t comply, fearing that Shanky’s rivals had sent attackers to harm them.

When the car didn’t stop, the accused fired at it, hitting Aryan, who was in the passenger seat, near the neck. After the car eventually stopped, they shot Aryan again, fearing he might retaliate.

Sources reported that when the accused noticed two women in the car, they realized they had targeted the wrong person and quickly fled the scene.

Aryan was rushed to a hospital where he died a day later.

The weapon used in the incident was also illegal, sources said. The accused are currently in police custody and further investigation is underway.