Gorakhpur: Two people were killed and several others injured when an SUV, allegedly linked to an animal smuggling network, overturned while trying to evade a police cordon in the Gauri Bazaar area of Deoria district late Friday.According to police, teams led by SP North Gyanendra Kumar and SP South Dinesh Kumar Puri were conducting vehicle checks in the Jhungia police station area following inputs about animal smugglers. When police attempted to stop a pickup truck, its driver sped away. One of the three occupants was later nabbed, while two managed to flee with the vehicle.Police said an SUV following the pickup allegedly tried to run over the police team before escaping. Suspecting the occupants to be associates of the smugglers, police alerted Deoria district and launched a chase. Gauri Bazaar police set up a barricade along the Gorakhpur–Deoria road. To break through the cordon, the SUV driver accelerated and tried to take a sudden turn, but lost control. The vehicle rammed into a divider near a petrol pump and overturned, triggering panic at the spot. The injured were rushed to Deoria Medical College, where doctors declared two of them dead. Others remain hospitalised with serious injuries. Police said the identities of the deceased and injured are being verified. Investigators are probing whether the group has links to an inter-state animal smuggling network, possibly operating out of Bihar. The arrested pickup occupant is being questioned.
