Class 12 boy from Haryana mistaken for cattle trader, chased for 30 km, killed by 5 cow vigilantes – Firstpost

A 19-year-old boy, studying in class 12 in Faridabad, Haryana, was allegedly chased and shot dead in a car by a group of five cow vigilantes who mistook him for a cattle trader, police said on Tuesday.

A Duster car in which the boy, Aryan Mishra, and his friends Harshit and Shanky, and two other women were sitting in the backseat, was chased by cow vigilantes for about 30 kilometres near Gadhpuri in Haryana on the Delhi-Agra national highway on the night of August 23.

Police have identified and arrested all five suspects: Saurabh, Anil Kaushik, Varun, Krishna and Adesh. A report by Hindustan Times quoted police sources as saying the weapon used to kill the victim was illegal.

Why did cow vigilantes kill a 19-year-old boy from Haryana?

All five accused cow vigilantes were questioned by the police who revealed that they had received information that on the evening of August 23, some suspected cattle ‘smugglers’ were patrolling the town in Renault Dusters and Toyota Fortuners and picking up cattle in the vicinity.

The suspects also claimed that they were told that the alleged cattle traders had also called their accomplices to pick up cows in a truck from remote areas in the city.

The cow guards, who were also in a car, saw a Duster near Patel Chowk in which Aryan Mishra was sitting with his friends.

The vehicle was driven by Harshit and was stopped by the suspect. Instead, they accelerated and opened fire, and a bullet was fired into the neck of Aryan Mishra, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

After Aryan was shot, Harshit stopped the SUV at Gadhpuri toll gate in Palwal, but the assailants approached and fired another shot at Aryan Mishra’s chest, killing him.

The suspect saw the women in the car and realized they had shot the wrong person, so they drove off.

Why didn’t they stop the car?

Police said Harshit sped off despite being ordered to stop, as Shanky, who was also in the car, had recently been involved in a dispute with a man and a case had been registered against him. They suspected that gangsters had been sent to kill them.

As the SUV did not stop and instead sped away, the cow guards suspected cattle traders to be inside and started chasing the vehicle which had broken through the barrier at Palwal toll gate.

The suspects were taken to court after being arraigned.

With input from authorities.