Police have arrested four men in connection with the killing of 19-year-old NEET aspirant Deepak Gupta in Gorakhpur’s Pipraich area on Monday night. A key accused, Rahim, was shot and injured during a joint operation by Pipraich police and Kushinagar police on Wednesday as part of a crackdown on the suspected cattle smuggling gang involved in the case.
Officials said Rahim, a resident of Kushinagar’s Durgpatti area and a repeat offender with multiple cases of cattle smuggling in Balrampur, Basti and other districts, has been admitted to hospital under tight security.
Another accused, Ajab Hussain, was caught by villagers and handed over to police. Two more suspects, Chotu and Raju, were also arrested late Tuesday night, while a search has been launched for two others still on the run.
According to police, three vehicles carrying suspected cattle smugglers had entered Jungledhusar village around 12:30 am on Monday. Villagers raised an alarm when the men began untying cattle. Deepak Gupta, who was preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), chased the smugglers but was fatally attacked. His body was later found near Saraiya village, four kilometres away.
The killing triggered violent protests on Tuesday morning, with angry villagers blocking the Gorakhpur-Pipraich road and setting one of the smugglers’ vehicles ablaze. Stones were hurled at police, leaving Superintendent of Police (North) Jitendra Srivastava and Pipraich station in-charge Purushottam injured.
Additional police forces and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) units were deployed to restore calm, and senior officers held talks with the victim’s family and locals.
In a swift administrative action, all personnel posted at the Jungle Dushan outpost and the Pipraich police outpost were suspended for negligence. ADG (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash has taken charge of the crackdown, codenamed Operation Gokshi, which targets a Gopalganj-based cattle smuggling gang suspected to have orchestrated the killing.
Five police teams and the Gorakhpur STF unit are continuing raids to nab the remaining two accused.
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