A group of co-villagers of an alleged cattle smuggler Monday attacked a police team which had arrested him and got the accused freed from the custody, said police.
On learning of the attack, the district police rushed reinforcement in aid to the team and nabbed accused Anni again, they added.
The incident occurred in Faridapur Chaudhary village under Izzatnagar police station area of the district.
Besides freeing the accused, the villagers attacked the two policemen, beat them up and tore up their uniform, when they were returning after making the arrest, said City Superintendent of Police Abhinandan Singh.
Additional police force has been deployed to ward off any untoward incident, he added.
Action will be taken against those who attacked the police team, he said, adding the assailants are being identified.