Ghaziabad, Dec 9 (IANS): Two policemen in Ghaziabad were suspended Tuesday for dereliction of duty.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Yadav suspended Senior Sub-Inspector Ramasrey and Head Constable Dileep Kumar of Vijay Nagar police station after finding them guilty of laxity in probing a theft-cum-abduction case.

A farmer, Om Prakash from Mirzapur village, and his seven buffaloes went missing from the agriculture field where he had taken them for grazing.

Following a complaint by farmers, the police registered the case under 'missing' category instead of listing it as a case of abduction.

After four days Om Prakash's body was found near the village. While three buffaloes returned on their own, four remained untraceable.

When the police reached the village to take the body in its possession, the farmers protested and allegedly thrashed the policemen.

The police, Monday midnight, raided the farmers houses and took about 60 of them into custody.

The villagers approached the district magistrate and staged a dharna outside the SSP office.

"The farmers attacked the policemen who were performing their duties so they are liable to be arrested. We took 60 farmers into custody but booked only 26. Others were allowed to go," said P.P. Karnwal, C.O. Ist of Ghaziabad.