Gurgaon: Tension ran high among locals in Sohna's Kherli Lala village after 100kg of 'cow meat', later identified as buffalo meat, was recovered by the police from a pick-up van in the area early Thursday morning.The police and the villagers, however, have a different story to tell about what really happened before the meat was seized.According to the police, the Nimoth police post received a tip off about cow meat being transported in a pick-up van passing through the area and set up barricades on Ballabhgarh-Sohna road near the village to nab the three persons, who were reportedly travelling from Ghazipur, Delhi towards Gurgaon in a pick-up van.Locals, however, have a different story to tell. According to them, the trio, who was transporting the meat, crashed into another pick-up van. Soon after, stench started emanating from the vehicle, making the villagers, around 100-150 of them, who had surrounded the accident spot, suspicious about the contents of the van. Soon, the trio fled."We got suspicious after the men fled and decided to call the police," said Kapil, a resident of Kherli Lala.According to Ram Niwas, the sarpanch, the villagers informed the police about the incident, who, in turn, took half an hour to reach the spot, despite the fact that the police post in Nimoth is just 3-4km from Kherli Lala.The police, on the other hand, have been claiming that they seized the meat after intercepting the van by setting up barricades on the road. ASI Narender Singh, the investigating officer in the case, said they got a tip off from an informer, who, in most cases, is a rival in the same trade.The FIR filed by Singh states that a barricade was set up on the spot. The police team spotted the van speeding and chased it. The van then collided into another pick-up van coming from Ballabhgarh side in the opposite direction. Taking advantage of the crowd that gathered at the spot, the trio managed to flee.The FIR, filed under sections 229 (rash driving), 336 (endangering life and personal safety of others), 427(punishment for mischief causing damage), 429 (mischief by killing or maiming animals), also states that the veterinary surgeon confirmed it to be buffalo meat.nimoth police post in-charge Chandrawan, however, refused to comment on the matter. SHO Sohna Mukesh Kumar too passed the buck when asked about the sequence of events which took place on Thursday morning.

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