MEERUT, Jan. 2 -- At least two suspected opium smugglers escaped after villagers attacked and surrounded a special operations group (SOG) team of the Uttar Pradesh police in Alampur Kot village under the Sirauli police station area in Bareilly district on Wednesday evening. According to police, the SOG team of the Southern SP, Anshika Verma, reached Alampur Kot around 5 pm in civvies, using an unnumbered white vehicle. Acting on intelligence inputs, four SOG personnel detained two villagers, Sher Singh and Sanjeev, for alleged involvement in opium smuggling and seated them in the vehicle. The duo was reportedly returning home from Ramnagar at the time. However, moments after the vehicle started moving, Sher Singh began shouting from inside the car, drawing the attention of villagers working in nearby fields. Suspecting foul play, villagers armed with sticks and batons rushed toward the vehicle. Within minutes, around 150 people surrounded the car and attacked the SOG personnel. Faced with an aggressive crowd, the SOG members abandoned the vehicle and fled. Some personnel managed to reach the Badagaon police outpost, while others ran toward the Ramnagar police outpost of Aonla police station. Both detained suspects escaped amid the chaos. Police teams from the Ramnagar and Badagaon outposts rushed to the spot. It was only after local police explained the situation that villagers realised the vehicle was a government one and that an SOG team had been carrying out an operation. SP South Anshika Verma said: "Taking advantage of the confusion, Sher Singh and Sanjeev managed to flee. Around 800 grams of opium has been recovered from them. A case is being registered, and efforts are underway to arrest both accused."...