The body of a 19-year-old NEET aspirant was found about four kilometres away from his home in the Jungle Dhushad area of Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district on Tuesday morning, September 16. The victim, identified as Deepak Gupta, was allegedly kidnapped and killed by animal smugglers.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raj Karan Nair, police received a call around 3 am that cattle smugglers had arrived in the village with two pickup vehicles. When villagers tried to stop them, the smugglers were chased. During the chase, Deepak intercepted the smugglers but was forcibly taken along in one of their vehicles. He was later pushed from the moving pickup, which caused severe head injuries, leading to his death.
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The incident triggered outrage in the village. Villagers intercepted one of the vehicles used by the smugglers; while some managed to escape, one suspect was caught and brutally beaten. The angry mob also set the vehicle on fire. Soon after, hundreds of locals gathered and blocked the Gorakhpur-Pipraich road, demanding immediate action against the culprits.
Police teams from four stations, along with the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), were deployed to the spot. Senior officials, including SP North Jitendra Srivastava, attempted to pacify the agitated villagers. During efforts to control the situation, both Srivastava and Pipraich police station in-charge Purushottam sustained injuries.
Authorities confirmed that the injured smuggler taken into custody is undergoing treatment under police security. Officers are trying to extract the names of his accomplices. According to villagers, Deepak was a hardworking student preparing for medical entrance exams, and his tragic death has left the community in shock.