By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Police have busted a five-member gang of carjackers responsible for the killing of a driver of Swift Desire tourist taxi (ML 05 J 8343) — Samuel Mawlong, whose body was dumped in Lumshnong village of East Jaintia hills on June 26.
The arrested persons are identified as Mithu Sharma, Prakash Purkayastha, Guatum Tati and Sidharth Thapa.
Informing this here on Monday, Additional SP (Crime) Vivek Syiem told reporters that the gang was involved in several other car theft cases.
Sanjay Biswa, who is also part of the gang, was earlier arrested by Silchar police in connection with a car theft case on June 24. He was a driver of a tourist vehicle.
Mithu Sharma was the leader of the gang, Syiem said adding that this gang used to target the tourist taxi drivers posing as passengers and hire their vehicles. In between the journey they would offer the driver with juice laced with methamphetamines drug and subsequently kill him.
According to him, this gang stole a Tourist Indica after killing its driver on June 25, 2012. The body of the deceased was later recovered from Sohra. The gang was also involved in carjacking of a tourist Scorpio in December 4 last year. The driver of the vehicle, however, was later rescued from Assam. The stolen vehicles are taken to Manipur, Mizoram and Silchar, the police official said adding that the stolen Swift Desire which was sold at Rs 1.20 lakh was yet to be traced. Police seized from Rs 25, 000 in cash and several cell phones from their possession.
The State police, meanwhile, issued an “Advisory” to tourist taxi drivers to be “extra-careful”
The five accused have been remanded to 10-day police custody.
Mithu is also wanted by Assam police in several carjacking cases.