The incident came to light after it went viral on the social media on Saturday. According to sources, the DCM was loaded with buffaloes which were being to be taken to Unnao . The police said the victims have been identified as Sonu Gupta and Rajjan Shukla, both residents of Hathigaon area of Maharajpur. While transporting the buffaloes they were intercepted by four persons, identified as Ravi Dubey, Vicky Sharma, Diwakar Tiwari and Ashish Pandey, who were travelling in a car in Maharajpur. All the four were residents of Naubasta area of the city, the police said further.“The four persons, who claimed themselves to be cow vigilantes, tried to extort money from the two before thrashing them severely. The two tried to seek police help, and in the process took refuge at a nearby police outpost. The four even barged inside the outpost and attacked them severely,” said a police officer.Sources informed TOI that severe thrashing of the cattle traders in the wake of rumours of they being cow smugglers fuelled anger among the locals who came to the rescue of the two.“We will investigate as to from which cow vigilante group the four are associated. However, during preliminary investigations, it was learnt that all the four are lumpen elements who in the name of cow vigilantes used to extort money from cattle traders on highways,” said Circle Officer Sadar Ravi Kumar.

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