It was around 4 am that Singh realised his cow was missing from the shed. He traced the suspects in two days, all by himself, and requested the police to carry out a raid. The police, he says, told him to wait till Lok Sabha elections are over. Alwar went to polls on May 6.

A month on, he has little hope of seeing his cow again.

The story of how Singh traced the suspects is an eye-opener for the typical urban, English-speaking journalist on how villagers are forced to settle matters at local level in absence of a trustworthy police and justice system - something that the elite journalists who never touched the ground have repeatedly failed to comprehend.

In April beginning, two men showed up at Singh's house saying they were farmers and interested in buying his cows. They gave reference of their village sarpanch, one Jagdish. Singh told them he was not looking to sell his cow, Gauri, who he had raised from a calf and had just started giving milk. Ten days later, Gauri was stolen. Singh approached the said sarpanch and described the men's appearances to him. The sarpanch said the men seemed to be Akhtar and Pummy. He said they were known cattle thieves and this was their standard operating procedure. Singh traced Akhtar's house where a neighbour confirmed that a white cow had indeed been brought to the house on the morning of the theft. Singh confronted Akhtar, who flatly denied his involvement. Singh left word with him that if he was innocent, he must bring five men from his village to Singh's village to stand in his testimony. More than two weeks later, Akhtar had not done so, cementing Singh's belief that he was indeed the thief.

Nothing however has come out of Singh's efforts. His only solace is that Akhtar's neighbour told him that his cow would most probably be sold off to a dairy farmer rather than be handed over to butchers. He may never see Gauri again but has hopes she will remain alive.

In Alawara, Ishaq Khan did not inform the police about theft of his three buffaloes as he feels it is best to keep police away from such cases. "If we inform, the cops raid the area. Then all hopes are lost forever," says Khan.