Armed men take dairy owner hostage, take away 18 buffaloes in UP

Nearly 25 armed men stormed a dairy in a village in Muzaffarnagar district and took away 18 buffaloes worth Rs 20 lakh after taking the owner hostage, a police official said Friday.

The incident happened in Ratanpuri village Thursday, the police official said.

The men entered the dairy forcibly and pointed a gun on its owner Naresh Kumar and his son Mohit. They took away the buffaloes in two vehicles, the official said.

He said a bike and two mobiles phones were also snatched.

Villagers angry over the incident blocked the road outside the area police station. They ended their protest after senior police officers visited the area and pacified the protesters.

A case has been registered against unidentified people and a search has been launched, the police official said.