Two, including ‘cattle thief’, shot dead in Greater Noida

“We received information that some thieves had entered the village. Their movements were sensed by villagers. The alleged cattle thieves opened fire, killing one villager. One of the thieves was also shot dead. An FIR under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) has been filed at Jarcha police station. Further investigation is pending,” said Vaibhav Krishna, Senior Superintendent of Police (Gautam Budh Nagar).

According to police, Singh was piling wheat stacks in his farm, close to his house, when the incident took place. While police are yet to confirm the number of thieves, eyewitnesses claimed that three armed men entered the village on a bike.

“I live close to Ratan’s house… and heard the commotion. It appears the men were looking for a pair of healthy buffaloes to steal. Ratan’s house is first in line when you enter the village. He tried to hold the assailants back when they shot at him but accidentally ended up hitting one of their own men. They then shot Ratan in the chest,” claimed Shantu, Ratan’s relative.

By then, other villagers rushed to the spot. Locals claimed that the alleged thieves tried to escape with their associate’s body but left it behind on seeing the crowd.

Singh was rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Police said no weapon has been recovered from the spot. While the post-mortem of the accused who was shot dead has been carried out, he is yet to be identified. “Locals claimed he was shot by the thieves… this is a matter of investigation. We have circulated pictures of the dead man on local WhatsApp groups, but no one has come forward to claim his body. The process of identification is being carried out,” a Jarcha police officer said.

Singh worked with the Forest Department in the capital and ran the farm in his free time. He is survived by his wife and three children. He was cremated on Sunday afternoon.