Tension flared up in Singhanwala village in the Moga district when a team from the Drugs Control Department was allegedly held hostage by furious villagers during a raid on an ‘illegal’ clinic on Monday afternoon.

The team had conducted a raid targeting unauthorised medical practices in the area. However, the action backfired when residents rallied in support of the clinic operator and confronted the officials.

The protesting villagers blocked the drugs department team, keeping them hostage for nearly an hour and a half. The enraged crowd allegedly snatched back the medicines and medical supplies that had been officially seized by the team during the raid. The situation turned highly volatile, forcing local police to intervene to rescue the trapped officials and restore order.

Local authorities are investigating the matter, and action is expected to be taken against those who obstructed government officials from performing their duties and forcibly took the seized evidence, said a police officer.