The Noida Expressway in the National Capital Region is no stranger to all forms of reckless driving. That is why there are Rs 40 crore worth of expensive CCTV cameras installed there. However, the 12 officials designated to constantly monitor the CCTV footage may have missed something astounding on Sunday.

There were two men with horses racing on the Noida expressway. Though one of the horses only ran for about half a kilometre before getting off the road, the other horse was on the expressway for more than three kilometres before exiting near Amity University in Sector 125.

Videos captured on mobiles of the horses went viral on social media on Sunday before the police scanned the CCTV footage and found evidence of the incident, which took place at 7.30 am near Sector 128.

The video shows two horses being ridden by riders on the expressway, while a car (from which the video is shot), multiple bikes and auto-rickshaws follow them, recording videos and cheering on the race. The police suspect that the men following them may be gamblers, since horse-racing usually involves betting.

Bringing animals on the expressway is prohibited, especially when it appears to be driven by gambling. The police are scanning the CCTV footage to ascertain the identity of the riders and the men following them. One policeman, however, thinks that this may be an “honest” incident.

“It also might not be a ‘race’ altogether, they could be riding back to their homes. The horses were not riding in parallel,” a police official, who requested anonymity, told Hindustan Times. He assured them, however, that the police was probing the matter.

There have been prior incidents involving bike racing on the expressway.