Two police officers from the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau were injured in an alleged attack by members of a suspected mining mafia during an inspection of an allegedly illegal mining operation in Nuh district’s Ghata Shamshabad village, PTI reported on Friday.

The suspected mafia members also freed a tractor-trolley that had been intercepted by the police officers, according to the news agency.

Following the incident, a first information report was filed in the matter against three persons identified as Muli, Arsad and Dhola and 22 unidentified individuals at the Ferozpur Jhirka police station.

The FIR was based on a complaint by Inspector Surajmal, who is the station house officer of the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau police station in Nuh. He was among the two officers who were injured in the attack.

In his complaint, Surajmal claimed that he, along with Assistant Sub-Inspector Rakesh and a driver named Rafiq, were on their way to Ferozpur Jhirka-Beewan Road to inspect an alleged illegal mining operation, PTI reported.

Surajmal said that he attempted to stop three tractor-trolleys laden with stones when they were near the Ghata Shamshabad police post. However, the vehicles did not stop.

“They drove the tractor-trolleys into the forest,” the inspector alleged. “A tractor driver drove into the village. Two tractor-trolleys were moving in front of me and [the driver of] one of them emptied the trolley and ran away.”

Surajmal said that he subsequently called Ferozpur Jhirka Station House Officer Aman Singh for assistance. However, 20 to 25 persons arrived and began throwing stones at the three of them, Surajmal claimed.

Surajmal said that he and his colleagues were injured in the alleged attack and that an unidentified person had driven away with the intercepted tractor-trolley.

After the attack, Singh, along with his staff and a team from the mining department, arrived at the site. However, the persons accused of the attack had escaped by then, Surajmal claimed in his complaint.

“We are conducting raids to nab the accused and they will be arrested soon,” Singh said, according to PTI.