SHILLONG: Amid reports reaching the police from villagers that kidnapped Havildar Khomraj Bhattarai, hailing from Shillong may have been killed, police have said that they can neither confirm nor deny such reports.
“We do not have confirmed information in this regard, though on Friday, there were a lot of rumours and inputs from people of the area where he was abducted that the kidnappers had killed him,” DGP Rajiv Mehta said.
The whereabouts of another civilian from Assam who was kidnapped along with the havildar on November 6 is yet to be known.
The police chief asserted that those who were behind the kidnapping were GNLA cadres led by its commander Philliport Shira. A police source, said that unless the body of the havildar is recovered, rumours cannot be believed.
The source added that the pattern appears to be that of the slain IB official and the trader who were killed by ASAK last month.
According to police, like the case of IB official and trader, the GNLA militants were looking for non-tribals in the vehicle in which the havildar and another civilian from Assam were travelling along with others. They were taken away after being segregated from other passengers at Tapa Darengchi area, around 16 kms from Mendipathar town.
