Faridabad: In Haryana’s Faridabad, a 19-year-old class 12 student was mistakenly shot and killed after being wrongly identified as a cattle smuggler. The incident occurred after the accused chased the victim’s car for 25 kilometers before opening fire. Five people have been arrested in connection with the crime.
The victim, Aryan Mishra, had gone out with his friends Harshit and Shanky in a Duster car around midnight on August 23 to grab some noodles. The accused, self-proclaimed cow vigilantes, claimed during police questioning that they had received information about cattle smugglers operating in the city using Duster and Fortuner SUVs, India Today reported.
The vigilantes, who were also in a car, spotted the Duster and signalled it to stop. Harshit, who was driving the Duster, along with Aryan and other passengers, mistook the vigilantes for someone they had a previous dispute with, leading them to speed away, the report said.
The vigilantes, now convinced that the car occupants were indeed cattle smugglers, began a 25-kilometer chase, which culminated in them firing at the vehicle at the Palwal toll plaza. A bullet struck Aryan, who was seated in the front passenger seat.
After the initial shot, Harshit pulled over, but the attackers approached and shot Aryan again in the chest, leading to his death.
The police have identified and arrested the suspects: Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna, Adesh, and Saurav. The accused initially attempted to mislead the police about the whereabouts of the murder weapon, but it was eventually recovered from Anil’s residence.
This incident follows closely on the heels of another tragic event in Haryana, where a migrant worker was beaten to death by cow vigilantes in Charkhi Dadri district on suspicion of consuming beef, resulting in the arrest of seven people.
